Oathkeeper's Awakening
by KeywielderAnima
Summary: One year after Xehanort's defeat, Kairi awakens from her slumber without answers and guilt-ridden over Sora's sacrifice for her. Finding a piece of her shattered lucky charm, Kairi believes she's discovered a way to bring Sora home. Together with Xion and Naminé, the three embark on a journey to find the missing pieces while Kairi faces her worst enemy, herself. [Post-KH3, SoKai]
1. Feels Like Forever

**A/N: Okay, I bring you guys a special message with this new message. Yes, I have two AU fics that are in-progress. KH3 has shattered my heart into pieces, and this fanfic has been my only way of coping with the pain the game has caused me. I will complete my other fics, but this one is getting prioritized for personal reasons. I hope you guys all understand.**

**A/N 2: HUGE THANKS to KeybladeMaster18 for helping me write this fanfic. Even though I'm the primary writer, it's been a collaborative effort between the both of us!**

**This fanfic is dedicated to all Kairi fans. Hope you guys enjoy!**

**UPDATE 2/24/20: For those who have been keeping up with my fic, I have since gone through Chapters 1-37 and made tweaks and changes as necessary to keep up with ReMind and Limit Cut's canon. Thankfully, the majority of the fic is the same except for some dialogue tweaks here and there as well as a brand new scene with the Wayfinder trio in Chapter 13.**

_**One year following Xehanort's defeat, Kairi awakens from her year-long slumber without answers and guilt-ridden over Sora's sacrifice for her. Finding a piece of her shattered lucky charm, Kairi believes she's discovered a way to bring Sora back. Together with Xion and Namine, a new Keyblade wielder, the three journey to various worlds in search of the missing pieces all while Kairi faces her toughest enemy, herself. [Post-KH3, SoKai]**_

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Chapter 1: Feels Like Forever

_**It's been a year since you left us in the world. I can't believe that's how long it's been. To be honest, it feels like it's been longer. Even being in a deep sleep for that whole year, it felt like more than a year. The days drag without you. It's like there's an empty piece in the heart that is shared between you, me, and Riku. I look at Riku and he seems to be carrying on just fine, but deep down, I know he's hurting as much as I am. Would it be considered bragging if I argued that I was hurting more than he was?**_

Kairi set down her notebook on the golden white sand of the beach on Destiny Islands and brought her knees to her chest. The wind continued to blow right through her red hair, although it didn't feel as crisp and fresh like it was only months prior. The sky that was once a vibrant blue now look subdued to her. The white fluffy clouds were now grey with no substance to them. Even the ocean wasn't active like it once was. The waves that had once crashed along the shore were now almost nonexistent. It had almost seemed like once he had left her life, all of Destiny Islands felt lifeless.

_**People tell me to move on. People tell me that everyone comes and goes, it's a natural part of life. People tell me that what you did was not in vain and that you are a true hero to be remembered by many. Does ice on a cut ever heal though? Or does it only temporarily reduce the pain? People tell me it wasn't my fault. Then why am I still here? Why am I not in a world of everlasting light and peace? Why are you there? Why are you not here? It's because of me. **_

Kairi shut her eyes as she thought back to her final moments together with Sora. She remembered the rushing emotions of happiness and relief when he first saved her. What she'd give to be back in his arms again, just enjoying his presence, even if it was just for a moment. She thought back to when Sora took her to Disney Castle and Twilight Town, keeping a promise he had made that they'd finally travel the worlds together. Yet, the entire time, Kairi had no idea what would happen to Sora that fateful day on Destiny Islands.

_**-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-**__. _

_Within a literal flash, Sora and Kairi suddenly found themselves standing in cold water that went up their calves. The sounds of waves crashing, seagulls cawing, the sunset skies, the wind blowing through palm trees, they had finally made it home to Destiny Islands. They had only just been there to spend their last night before the final battle against Xehanort, but now it was real. Kairi looked up at Sora, her eyes filled with relief, gratitude, and passion. She noticed something different about his expression and behavior though. It was like he was happy to be home, but there was another layer of him that was depressed._

_Kairi could see out of the corner of her eye, all of their friends that they had met on their journey were ecstatic to see them both home safely, but Sora simply looked back at her, returning her gaze. Considering how much he valued his friends, Kairi was surprised he wasn't reacting to his friends. It was almost like he was ignoring them, and the only person he __**wanted **__to be with right now was her. He gave her a typical reassuring smile and nodded before taking her by the hand and leading her away from the group of friends and towards a most precious spot on the island, the paopu tree, the tree where they last sat together in peace, the tree where they exchanged a promise to keep each other safe, the tree where they would spend their last moments together._

_Looking out towards the sunset, Kairi never felt so relieved to have Sora home and by her side. She half expected Sora to feel the same. Instead, Kairi felt a tear roll down his face and land on her hand. It started to feel like there was nothing holding it for a brief second. She looked over and a saw little specks of light started floating from Sora's body. Her stomach dropped as the saddened expression that Sora shared with her was enough to confirm her worst nightmare was about to come true. Sora did come for her, and he did bring her home, but it wasn't what she thought it was._

"_No…" She muttered, shaking her head._

_Sora sighed, trying to be strong for her. "Kairi, I have to go." He grunted, as if he could feel his energy draining. _

"_No…"_

"_I'm brought you home, and now, you're safe."_

_Kairi shook her head, tears forming in her eyes. "I can't stay home, not without you."_

"_You have to." Sora shut his eyes and placed a hand over his chest. Kairi could feel the same hurt in his heart. "My journey began the day I lost you. That was when I realized that my world isn't complete without you." He smiled as tears fell down his face. "You give me hope, confidence, strength, and you never once doubted me. You are the light that pulls me out of the darkness, and now it's my turn to be your light."_

"_Sora, please…" Kairi held her head low and began sobbing. "I won't let you go!"_

_Sora tilted her face up, wiping the tears away from her face and smiling warmly at her. "Promise me you'll keep laughing and smiling. I'll always be in the wind that blows through your hair, the mist that tickles your face from the ocean, and in smiles and laughs that we'll share together. As long as you keep me alive in your heart and your memories." He leaned forward and kissed Kairi on the forehead before looking away from her. _

_It was here that Sora and Kairi experienced their most silent moment. They were about to lose each other, for good. This would be their final moment together. Sora sat still on the tree, his body slowly losing feeling, crying. Kairi attempted to dry her own tears. How did she end up living in a kingdom of thieves? How could she end up in a life where everything was taken from her? He tightened his grip around her hand, desperate to feel her one last time as the two passionately locked their matching eyes. Instead of feeling overwhelmed with sadness, Kairi could only smile, a tear rolling down her cheek._

_Sora shut his eyes and smiled, as if her words touched his heart in a way they never once had. "I'll come back to you, I promise."_

_Not being able to get another word out, Kairi continued to watch Sora up until he was nothing more than many specks of light floating away into the sky. She looked up and watched her beloved float away. She remembered back to the first time she witnessed this after Sora had sacrificed himself to free her heart. The sudden feeling of emptiness flowed through her body as she lost all feeling in her now whole body and collapsed onto the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. How could she live with herself knowing he did this for her? _

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"Kairi!"

Kairi snapped out of her flash back and looked over to where the voice was coming from. She saw Riku walking towards her, his hands shoved in the pockets of his pants that stopped halfway down his calves. He held a serious expression on his face as he came over and sat next to her.

"What're you up to, Riku?" Kairi finally asked.

"That's what I've come to ask you."

"Just...saying hi to someone we know."

Riku sighed. "You still think about him?"

"Of course I do. Don't you?"

"I do." He leaned back and looked into the sky. "All the time. One day your best friend is by your side fighting for world peace and the next minute he's gone without a trace. The old saying, 'life is too short' doesn't play around."

"I wish I knew. I feel like I could've prevented this from happening." She said crossing her arms and looked towards the ground.

"Nobody saw this coming. Besides, you sacrificed yourself for him." Riku sat a hand on Kairi's back. "Don't ever look down on yourself for that, okay? Somebody had to be Xehanort's thirteenth key. If you hadn't offered yourself, we would've lost Sora much earlier than we did. If Xehanort was able to get as close as he was to using Sora as one of his thirteen before, he probably could've done it again. Sora's strong, but he's vulnerable, especially when it comes to his friends." He shut his eyes as his arm wrapped all the way around her. "You never told us what really happened. You were so vague when we asked."

Kairi's stomach twisted as the memory of her encounter with Xemnas in The Keyblade Graveyard flashed through her mind. "It was so quick, and I just...I felt so weak in that one moment. Before I knew it, Xemnas was dragging me into what appeared to be this dark abyss." She ran her hand up and down her arm as her breathing became heavy. "Then, I saw _him_. He wanted Sora for his final vessel."

"So you…"

"I had to! I couldn't just sit there and let Sora become a vessel! At least by offering myself, Sora would still have a chance at stopping him and saving everyone. Xehanort shattered my heart into fragments. I knew I was in an endless darkness, but it didn't feel cold. I felt...warmth. It was like, I could still feel Sora. So, with whatever I had left of my heart, I continued to believe in him, that we'd be together again."

Riku chuckled. "Some things never change. You and Sora always swore you'd do anything for each other."

Kairi shook her head. "I never would've imagined that it would turn out like this...especially after he _did _save me and we defeated Xehanort together. Why didn't Sora say anything? That whole time after we returned to the real world, I never knew. We just...cherished that time...almost like life was back to normal."

"I think you just answered your own question." Riku noted.

"I just feel so worthless. At least you were able to move on like everyone else. I just keep getting stuck in the past."

"You're not worthless. As far as moving on goes, some of us just choose to leave the past behind and move on because it's the easiest way to relieve the pain." He said as he scowled down at the ground. "People like myself."

"Riku…"

Riku sighed and shook his head. "Just...forget I said anything." He looked over and eyed the notebook Kairi was writing in. "You still writing the letters?"

"Yeah...if there's one thing I learned when I was training with Axel and Merlin, it's that I like talking to Sora on paper." She clutched the notebook close to her body. "It's almost like he's here...even though he's not. Besides, my letter once led Sora home before. Maybe this time, it'll be the same."

A little tune started playing out of nowhere. "Oh!" Riku looked into his pants pocket and pulled out his vibrating Gummiphone. "I wonder who's calling." He tapped the green answer button on the screen and saw a blonde-haired girl's face appear on it. "N-Namine?"

Namine smiled on the other line. "Hello, Riku."

Kairi sighed and shook her head, taking a hint. "Well, I think this is my cue to leave you two alone."

"Wait! Kairi's with you? Let me talk to her!"

"Sure thing." Riku handed the phone to Kairi. "She wants to talk to you."

"Hey Namine." She greeted with a wave.

Namine giggled and waved back. "How are you doing? I know we haven't really been keeping in touch that much in the past year, but how are you holding up?"

"I'm okay."

"Good. I miss everyone. I keep telling Riku to bring me to the island."

Kairi smiled. "Well, you're welcome here anytime. Especially whenever you wanna see Riku." She said with a wink, causing Namine to blush. "Here, I'll hand the phone back to Riku so you two can chat. He can use the cheering up."

"Is Riku not okay? He seems okay with me when we talk." Namine asked, her voice filled with concern.

"He always says he's fine, but deep down, I think he's just as torn up as I am. Sora was like a brother to him." Kairi turned the phone so Namine could see Riku standing at the edge of the ocean looking out towards the horizon. "He's been doing that a lot lately, ever since we got home from Radiant Garden."

Namine sighed. "Maybe I should come visit the islands. Maybe that'll brighten Riku's spirits a little bit."

"Maybe. We've been home for a couple weeks now. After I woke up, Riku and I went to Master Yen Sid without any clues or answers to where Sora might be and he suggested we take a period of rest, especially Riku since he's been searching for Sora for a whole year. Terra, Aqua, and Ven are _still _in the Realm of Darkness."

"Ansem and Ienzo didn't find anything in your heart?" Namine asked as twirled some of her hair.

Kairi shook her head. "The closest thing I have to a clue is that I kept dreaming about the world of sky and sea, but what good does that do?"

"And I didn't find anything in Roxas and Xion's memories either. But, we can't give up. Sora would never give up on us."

"Yeah. Riku's trying to strategize what the next step is." Kairi watched as Riku turned and began walking back towards her. "He's coming back. I'll let you two talk alone."

"As long as you're okay."

"I'll be fine." She said before handing the phone back to Riku.

Riku held the phone in his hand and began to pace along the beach talking to Namine. Kairi couldn't help but smile at how his mood seemed to lift whenever he and Namine talked on the phone. She never thought Namine would be interested in Riku since she always thought Roxas was the one she was close with. At the end of the day, as long as they both were happy, Kairi was happy for them, especially seeing Namine happy in her new life as her own person only brought her more relief that she wasn't scared or alone. She picked up her notebook and continued writing in it.

_**They seem so awkward when they talk to each other, but it's cute. It reminds me of how you and I would act around each other, especially if Riku teased either one of us about the other. How times have changed, though. You never changed a bit. We both grew up, but you still retained your same cheerful self, and just as I thought, there was nobody your smile couldn't reach. Even when you're not here, I still think about it, because it's the only part of you that can reach me now.**_

"Oh!" Kairi stood up and jogged forward when she noticed a thalassa shell floating in the water along the shoreline. She knelt down and picked up the shell, wiping whatever sand lingered on it. "Looks like another one washed up today. In the same spot too." She looked up and smiled out towards the sun setting horizon that glowed warm colors of orange and yellow. "It's almost like we're meeting at the same exact spot each day."

Clutching the shell into her hand, Kairi turned and began walking towards the large tree, where the opening to hers and Sora's secret place awaited her. She ducked into the dark tunnel that led her into a decent sized musty cave that was decorated with various scribbles that were obviously done by small children. Kairi's eyes caught sight of the opening at the top that emitted a bright ray of sunlight. She smiled, inhaling the cave's earthy scent that always reminded her of his natural scent that would tickle her senses anytime she was close to him.

Kairi looked over to the corner and walked over to the special drawing they had done when they were children. The drawing had definitely changed over the years. It had gone from just being a simple drawing of each other to suddenly becoming physical proof of the oath they had taken on the day they shared the paopu fruit, the day before everything changed for them. No longer could Kairi ever look at this drawing the same. No longer could she think about that day without the weight of guilt resting on her shoulders. To Kairi, this drawing no longer represented a bond. It was physical proof of a broken promise, a promise that she couldn't keep herself and yet, Sora was able to do so.

"Here's another shell." Kairi said as she set the shell in front of the drawing, making the pile of thalassa shells even bigger. "These are supposed to make sure we never get separated." She choked out as tears formed in her eyes.

Tears rolled down her cheeks as Kairi leaned herself against the musty wall, bringing her knees up to her chest. She ran her hands up and down her arms as harsh shivers ran through her body.

"Kairi…" Riku said as he walked into the secret place.

Kairi quickly wiped her tears. "Riku, I didn't hear you come in."

"I didn't want to bother you, but it sounds like you can use a friend." He said taking a seat beside her. "You haven't cried in a while."

"I've been trying not to. It's been so long and I just want to move on, but I can't." She cried as Riku pulled her into his arms. "It isn't fair! Sora didn't deserve this! He saved so many people! Why did it have to be this way?"

"That's….just the harsh reality of life. It isn't fair." Riku answered running his hand up and down Kairi's back. "But...oh, who am I kidding? I can barely get these words out myself."

"Riku…"

"Kairi, I'm tired." He sighed, leaning against the wall. "I've spent the last year searching for clues on Sora's location while fighting my own sadness and grief. I can't fight my own feelings anymore." A tear rolled down Riku's cheek. "I have to do what I've done with the darkness, just accept it and control it." He wiped his tear and looked into Kairi's eyes. "We can't give up yet, but we need to think about the next step. At the end of the day, Sora's always going to be in our hearts, okay?"

"I just feel so stupid that I'm not over this." Kairi said as she broke the hug and turned away from Riku.

"You're not stupid. Some take longer than others to overcome stages of grief." He patted her on the back. "You'll get there, I promise."

"Sure thing, Riku."

Kairi stood up and walked back out of the secret place leaving a hopeless Riku. It seemed no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't brighten her spirits. He sighed heavily, leaning against the drawing and staring up in the bright light. Life seemed to be anything but peaceful in his eyes. As long as his best friend was nowhere to be found and his other best friend was depressed, Riku would never feel at home. His friends were his home. They were the reason he was able to conquer the darkness. He turned and looked at the drawing, smiling at the possibility that one day, everything would be as it should be.

"You'll be back soon, Sora." Riku said brushing his hand against the drawing. "I know you will."


	2. Scattered Dream

Chapter 2: A Scattered Dream

_**There are seven stages of grief. If these stages created a staircase, it is the longest I've ever climbed. The longer, the more exhausted I've become. The more exhausted I am, the less I can focus on life. The less I am able to focus, the harder I am on myself over the little things. Every time I feel like I've started to move on, I take a step back, and then I'm back to crying, like right now. I'm only crying because I never dreamed it'd take this long...**_

"Kairi?"

Kairi's head flew up from her notebook and nearly collided with the face of her Marine Biology teacher.

"Y-Yes, Ms. Yamada?"

"Would you please answer the question I asked?"

Kairi's eyes scanned the room full of students that showered her with intense looks. "Uh...could you repeat the question?"

Ms. Yamada sighed, trying to be patient. "The type of relationship in which one partner benefits and the other is not harmed or helped is…"

"Relationship!" She blurted out. "Paopu fruit! Uh...hearts intertwined! Er…sorry." Kairi started sinking into her seat as students started chuckling.

"Damare!" Ms. Yamada barked at the students, shutting them up. "Kairi, get it together, and focus." 

"Yes, ma'am…"

The bell rang fifteen minutes later dismissing the students to their next period. Kairi scooped up her books and was about to scoot out of the classroom until Ms. Yamada called her over to her desk. She sighed heavily before turning and walking to meet her teacher. It didn't take a genius to know that Kairi's academic performance was not her strongest this year.

"Kairi, you didn't do well on your last test." Ms. Yamada said as she pulled out a graded test from her folder that had a 66% on it. "What's been going on? I had you for Chemistry last year and you did so well in that class."

Kairi didn't answer. Ms. Yamada wasn't wrong. She did do a lot better the previous year in all of her classes. Not even knowing what to say, Kairi's eyes wandered off as she shrugged her shoulders.

"You need to pull it together. I know you've had a lot on your plate, but you can't forget your education. It's important." 

"I'm sorry." Kairi apologized as she brushed some hair behind her ear. "I'll try harder."

"Please do. You're very smart." Ms. Yamada pleaded with sincerity in her eyes.

"Yes ma'am."

During lunch period, Kairi sat under a tree outdoors and continued with her writing. She had been doing it a lot lately, sitting alone, and it was starting to worry Riku, as well as their other friends that she used to hang out with all the time. The clouds were grey and it looked like it could start raining. Despite that, the extra wind felt great to Kairi, so she stayed outside with the risk of possibly being downpoured on. It was to the point where her mind was so focused on her writing her letters to Sora that she tuned out anyone and everyone that walked past her.

"Hey Kairi!"

Kairi looked up and saw her dear friend, Selphie, come and join her. "Hey, you're not sitting with the boys?"

Selphie sighed. "Nah, I can't deal with them right now. I swear, ever since Tidus had his growth spurt over the summer, he's gotten the 'jock' vibe going and I don't like it one bit!"

"Wakka and Riku?"

"Wakka's always been a typical jock, but Riku's fine. Still the same charming Riku I know!"

Kairi laughed. "Careful Selphie, Riku likes a girl now."

"Right…" Selphie looked over and noticed Kairi writing. "How're the letters coming along?"

"They're...fine. But, I keep wondering what's the point? It's not like he's ever going to read most of these. Not that I would want him to. There's a lot of repeating in these letters." Kairi said lowering her head. "A lot of 'I miss you', 'why did it have to be you', sprinkling in some 'I'd give anything to just hear your voice one more time'..."

"He never failed to make you smile."

"I guess that's what made him so special." She rested a hand over her heart. "He's not here in person, but I'll always wear his smile on my heart."

Selphie giggled. "Yeah! Always!"

"But…" Kairi held her head low trying to fight her next set of tears that were due to stain her face.

"Aw, Kairi…" She rested a hand on her saddened friend's shoulder. "Come on, we should start hanging out more. You haven't been yourself since you and Riku came home and I'm worried about you."

"I know, I'm sorry." Kairi sincerely apologized.

"And stop apologizing! You haven't done anything wrong. You're hurting, and that's okay. Take all the time you need, but don't ever be afraid to turn to your friends. When you're not strong enough, they'll make up the difference."

"Thanks Selphie…"

Selphie nodded. "Hey, we pinky swore when we were five that we were sisters forever! They're gonna have to drag me down into the abyss before I give up on you!"

"Me too." Kairi nodded in agreement.

Much to Kairi's surprise, the rest of the day went rather smoothly. It seemed like ever since she had that talk with Selphie that she started to feel a little better. Maybe that's what she was missing all along. She may have been close to Riku, but it seemed as if the two of them were sharing the same grief, so being around Selphie, a friend who was always notoriously energetic, gave her a chance to absorb some positive aura from her. Even their music class was different this time around. Instead of Kairi, who played piano, playing without much energy like she had been lately, she was suddenly into it again. What a difference one person can make.

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Later that afternoon, Kairi and Selphie opted to have some girl time. It ended up being exactly what both of them needed. It was a night of drinking boba tea, listening to live bands play in town, and Kairi urging Selphie to go talk to a cute guy anytime she saw one. Poor Selphie, she'd always get too nervous to the point of rejection. It also didn't help either one of them because guys were always hitting on Kairi when she wasn't interested in anybody else at all, especially now.

Dusk had finally hit and it was time for some much needed relaxation time on the beach. Kairi kicked off her black sandals and dipped her feet into the water. Eyes shut, she inhaled the salty scene as the cold sea tickled at her toes. To Selphie, it looked like Kairi had stepped into a completely different world and was no longer on the island. She couldn't have been more right. Kairi felt like she had briefly escaped and nothing could bring her back to reality...except for the one thing she never thought she'd find.

Kairi's daydream ended with the uncomfortable feeling of something sharp brushing against her toe. Her eyes flew open as she winced from the pricking sensation. They darted down, seeking out what it could've been. Kairi's first instinct was maybe a small crab or a seashell with a sharp end to it. The seashell part, she was correct about. What she never guessed, was that it was only part of a seashell. It was a small piece of a very familiar-looking seashell, one that Kairi had a stronger connection with than anyone else on that island.

"Oh my gosh...Selphie…" Kairi knelt down and picked up the small piece of seashell from the water.

Selphie tilted her head to the side. "What is that?"

"It's a seashell, but…" She fiddled with the shell in her hands, studying the ridged texture and the yellow and lavender colors. "It's the same color as a thalassa shell, and…" Her fingertips brushed along the cracked edges, causing her to gasp. "And it feels like a broken piece!"

"How do you know?"

Kairi's breathing became heavier. "Selphie...thalassa shells are the only shells that have this color scheme AND this ridged texture! And they're very sturdy shells that you usually can't break!"

"So...you found a piece of a thalassa shell?"

"Not just ANY thalassa shell…"

Kairi shut her eyes, thinking back to the day she was at the Keyblade Graveyard, fighting alongside Sora, against a rampaging Saix. She remembered the shared horrified look between her and Sora, when her lucky charm flew out of his pocket following an attack from a norted Xion, and it was destroyed by one single swing of Saix's claymore. The impact split the charm into multiple tiny pieces and they seemed to scatter all around. Neither of them knew, nor had the time to think of what could've happened to the pieces, thus leaving the fate of one of Kairi's most prized possessions a mystery.

Selphie gasped. "Kairi, you don't mean…"

Kairi gasped as she could hear an overwhelming sense of euphoria pass through her chest, where her heart was. It felt like a shock, but not painful. It was almost as if…

"_**Kairi!"**_

"Sora?" Kairi cried out loud.

"Uh...Kairi? Are you okay?"

"I have to call Riku!" Kairi exclaimed while pulling out her phone.

After dialing his phone numerous times before finally getting an answer, Kairi finally convinced Riku to come out to the beach, despite how much homework and studying he had to do.

"So, what's up?" He asked as he jogged up to the girls.

Kairi held out the shell. "Look!"

"Kairi, that's a piece of shell."

"No Riku! This is a piece of a thalassa shell! Thalassa shells are sturdy enough that they can't break on a normal case! My lucky charm was destroyed by Saix in the Keyblade Graveyard and I swear, I felt Sora's heart reacting to this!" Kairi explained, speaking at a million miles a minute.

Riku's eyebrow twitched. "Kairi…are you sure?"

"If his heart is reacting to this piece of thalassa shell, then it could a piece of my lucky charm! And if his heart's reacting and I can feel it, then this could be a clue to where Sora is!"

Selphie nodded, smiling. "Sounds good to me!"

"Hmm…" He studied the shell.

"Well, say something, Riku!" Kairi pleaded as she slightly shook him.

"Kairi, wait a second. I need to think." Riku said in an agitated tone.

"Riku! We have a clue! Now's the time to get out of here and see where this clue leads us! So spring!"

"I get what you're saying, but we don't know where this could lead us. For all we know, this could just be a piece of a shell and you have indigestion."

Kairi shook her head. "I _know _what indigestion feels like, and this wasn't it! It was the same warmth I felt after Xehanort shattered my heart and Sora ended up saving me! I know his heart is reaching out to mine! "

"I'm sure he is. I'm sure he's trying to reach out to all of us." Riku said with a heavy sigh. "But that's not enough to give us a solid path to track him. As long as you and I keep having those dreams, we have to take this one step at a time."

"What dream of mine? The one where it's just the world of sea and sky and there's nothing there?" She asked while rolling her eyes.

"Not just that one, mine too."

"Fairy Godmother couldn't find anything, remember?"

Riku rubbed a hand through his hair. "I know, but if we keep on having those dreams, they have to be connected to something. We just don't know yet."

"Well, while we're thinking about it, _let's go_!" Kairi impatiently nudged Riku forward. "Let's go see Master Yen Sid, Merlin, anybody! Let's show them the clue!" 

"Kairi! I told you, without planning our next step, we're going to get more lost, so just let me think this through." He said with a raised voice.

Riku huffed before his feet shifted in the sand as he began to walk back up the beach. Kairi sighed, her eyebrows furrowing. While she appreciated that Riku didn't always act on impulse like had when they were younger, this was a moment where she was tired of him overthinking everything. Her heart wouldn't lie to her, especially in a case where Sora could potentially be using their connection to reach out to her and their friends. Why else could she feel Sora upon finding the seashell?

"Fine." Kairi walked back down toward the beach.

"Where are you doing?" Selphie asked.

"If Riku isn't gonna spring into action, then I'm going by myself." She said as she summoned Destiny's Embrace.

"What?" Riku gasped. "You're crazy! You can't even use your Keyblade to hop worlds yet!"

"I'm sure I can figure it out. How hard can it be?" Kairi said with a shrug as she pointed her Keyblade out toward the horizon.

"She's still stubborn as always, huh?" Selphie asked with a chuckle.

Riku shook his head and stepped in front of Kairi, moving her Keyblade. "Forget it. You're not going by yourself."

"Why not?" She asked in an offended tone.

"Because, you've been sleeping for a year and you haven't kept up with your training. Throwing yourself out there by yourself is a bad idea."

"The Heartless haven't been around since Xehanort's defeat, what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that Heartless or not, it's dangerous out there for you to be wandering on your own." Riku explained, trying to stay patient. "Just...give us until the weekend. Mickey and Yen Sid suggested we spend some time here at home to take a break and think things through before moving on."

Kairi growled. "The _real_ Riku I know wouldn't just give up on Sora like this!"

"I'm not giving up on Sora!" He yelled as he took Kairi by the shoulders and shook her. "I don't know what's with you right now, but you've gotta stop being so careless and just running into dangerous situations!"

"Why can't you just trust me like Sora?" She yelled. "I'm not the same weak little girl you met eleven years ago! I can defend myself just fine, okay?"

"No, this is not okay! This is different! All that mattered to Sora was that you were SAFE and HAPPY." He choked out. "And that's what I plan to do. You can argue and fight me all you want, but I'm gonna keep my promise to Sora and keep you safe, even if it means having to leave you here on the island again while I go search for him."

Kairi took a step back, curling her hand into a fist. "No, Riku! Just because _you're _scared-"

"Look, it's obvious we threw you out onto the battlefield before you were ready, and I'm not making that mistake again!" Riku yelled. "You think you can be reckless and just run head first into danger, but you're NOT STRONG ENOUGH!"

Kairi gasped, as the last comment hit her like a million spikes to the chest. Her eyes began to water as a lump formed in her throat. "You're the worst…" She choked out.

Riku's jaw hung open as the soft words of pure hurt and anger echoed through his ears. His heart sank as the words he had said prior also repeated in his head. Only a week prior, he was comforting Kairi telling her it wasn't her fault and now he was suddenly calling her out over what happened? Even Selphie, who had been listening to both of them, was taken back by both of their outbursts toward each other. She watched Kairi take off in tears and run up the beach back towards her house. Riku gasped while reaching out towards her, almost at war with himself whether he should go after her or not. Just as he was about to jog after her, Selphie held out her arm and stopped him. She knew very well that Riku was the last person Kairi was going to want to lay eyes on at the moment.

"Riku? You didn't mean what you said, right?" Selphie asked, her eyes filled with concern.

Riku sighed, holding his head low. "No...I just...I don't know anymore." He turned and started dragging his feet across the sand. "I thought I knew, but I don't anymore." His eyes stared down into the water that matched the color of his eyes. "Maybe I never really knew, and it was because of him that I did."

Selphie sighed as she watched Riku walk back more inland. She had never seen such tension between their group of friends in all the years they were together. It was here that Selphie realized Sora truly was the one who held everyone together. He always saw a brighter side to things and always ended the day with a smile on his face. It had seemed like Sora laid the foundation and now that he was gone, what was left?

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Later that night, Kairi stood out on the balcony of her room and stared up at the stars. It had become a common thing ever since she and Sora were separated a couple years back. She would always look up into the night sky and anytime there was a shooting star, she'd often wonder if it was Sora returning home with Riku.

_**I had to expect the suffering this would bring. Waiting so long, I started to even hate myself. I'm so frustrated, what else can I do? I want to sleep, every day, clinging on so tight to you that it's uncool. **_

Kairi took the piece of seashell out of her pouch and held it out in front of her. _I'm not crazy, I know I'm not, _she thought as she studied the shell more. She reached in and pulled out a normal thalassa shell and compared the two. The broken piece felt identical and was sturdy enough that whatever broke it, it was very powerful. Kairi's eyes looked into the sky and did a double take as she swore there was a large star that was shaped like a paopu fruit. Her eyebrows furrowed as her focus darted between the shell and the "paopu star". The same overwhelming shock that hit her earlier at the beach had hit her a second time, and once again, while looking at the seashell piece.

"_**Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you." **_Kairi gasped as the voice and words of her grandmother echoed through her mind.

"A light...at the end of the tunnel…" She cradled the shell in her hand before curled it into a fist. "Everytime I'm close...he always slips away from me, but not this time."

Kairi ran back into her room and began packing little things that she could easily carry with her while traveling. She didn't bother saying goodbye to her parents, who were just as stubborn about her leaving as Riku was. How could she expect anyone to have faith in her when her own family, as well as the one friend who's like a brother to her, won't even trust her? She looked up on her wall and caught sight of a drawing she did of her, Sora, and Riku all together when she much younger. Her hand brushed over it as the hand that held the seashell gripped it tighter. _I'll make things right again, I promise. _

With her knapsack packed up, Kairi hurried outside and started climbing down the tree right outside of her balcony. This tree used to be hard for her to climb down because of her (once) lack of upper body strength, but thanks to her Keyblade wielder training, she developed much better physical strength and could even keep up with Riku and Sora a lot better now. Kairi climbed down the tree effortlessly before jogging down the path towards the beach. She stopped in her tracks and took one last look at her home. If her experiences in the Keyblade Graveyard taught her anything, it was that there was always that chance that she may not return home, but she knew what she had to do.

Taking a deep breath, Kairi jogged all the way down to the beach. The night sky was pitch black, much like it was the night the island disappeared and was consumed by the darkness. Once she reached the ocean, Kairi summoned her Destiny's Embrace Keyblade in her hand and got ready to point it forward to open up a path to get out, only for her to freeze at the sound of footsteps sinking into the sand behind her. She held her blade by her side and turned her head to see none other than the one person who had faith in her, Selphie.

Selphie stared at her friend with green eyes that were a mix of fear, sadness, and hope. From behind her back, she held out a homemade pouch filled with snacks. Kairi's eyes darted between Selphie and the pouch. She took the pouch nodded with a smile. Before she could leave, Selphie took Kairi's hand and placed a lone thalassa shell. A shell that brought good luck to those who lived on the island, a shell that not only ensured a safe voyage, but kept good friends from being separated. Sora had made a promise to Kairi to come back home safely. Now, it was Kairi's turn to make a promise to a friend.

Kairi held the seashell close to her heart as tears flooded her eyes. Selphie ran in and hugged her. The two shared a sisterly embrace, a tear running down Selphie's face. She knew what Kairi had to do, she knew what had to be done, and she knew how stubborn Kairi was when it came to what her heart wanted. Selphie broke the embrace and gave her a reassuring smile and a nod, as if it were a blessing.

Stepping backwards from Selphie, Kairi gripped her Keyblade tightly and pointed it ahead. Her feet dug firmly into the ground, channeling all of the energy her generated from her emotional state into the blade. She exhaled heavily as her hands gripped even tighter around the handle. The more Kairi tried, the more energy she seemed to lose.

After exerting what felt like everything she had in her, a large beam shot out of the tip of the blade and opened a portal. Kairi turned back and waved at Selphie one last time before running into the portal. Little did she know that this portal would send her on the biggest journey of her life, not just for Sora, but for herself.

**Author's Note: Only two chapters in, and we've already got drama, yay...lol Anywho, thanks to everyone who read and reviewed the first chapter! This is a big passion project, so I appreciate it! Also, in case anybody was curious about what Ms. Yamada was yelling earlier, "Damare" is Japanese for "shut it" (or something along those lines). **


	3. Familiar Faces

Chapter 3: Familiar Faces

"Is it dead?"

"It's a _she_ stupid!"

"Well, is _she _dead?"

"I don't know. She's not moving."

"Poke her with a stick!"

"Okay!"

Kairi's unconscious body lay stationery in front of a wall at the sandlot of Twilight Town. Three little boys, all around the age of four to five years old, surrounded her, all staring at her as if she were a foreign creature from an uncharted planet. One boy grabbed a long stick and began to poke at her arm. Her body stirred slightly at the the discomfort of a sharp pointy wood pricking her sensitive body. The boys watched in amusement as her eyes slowly cracked open. Anybody else could've sworn these boys never saw a beautiful girl before with the way they were acting around her. Kairi's eyes scanned above her and caught sight of the boys.

"Sora? Riku?" She muttered.

"Huh?" One boy asked tilting his head.

Kairi sighed, smiling weakly. "Have a good nap, guys…" She said before passing back out.

"What was that?"

"That was weird."

"We still have to wake her up!"

"I know what to do! My big brother does this to me all the time!"

One of the boys suddenly put his fingers in his mouth and spit a hefty amount of saliva on them. He bent over and stuck his fingers into Kairi's ear, causing her head to shoot up from the ground squealing. The boys backed away slightly as they saw her frantically wipe her now contaminated hear with the back of her hand. In her mind, all she could think of was who was the jerk that had the audacity to stick their own saliva into her ear.

"Are you an alien?" One of the boys asked.

Kairi groaned. "No! I'm NOT an alien!" She jumped from the ground onto her feet. "Now which one of you _kindly _stuck your spit in my ear?"

All three boys looked at each other before taking off running. Surely Kairi's frown looked like deadly shark eyes to a child compared to an adult, who wouldn't think twice about it. She scanned the area and heaved a sigh of relief when she recognized the large sandlot.

"Wait...I know this place! Twilight Town! Roxas, Xion, and Axel live here!" Kairi turned and looked towards the clock tower. "Maybe I'll go see what they're up to. If I remember correctly, they always hang out at the clock tower. I'll go check there first."

**It was strange. Of all the worlds I could end up in, my Keyblade sent me to Twilight Town. It was almost as if it knew my heart was connected to many friends here. Maybe this was what everyone was talking about when they mentioned Keyblades being connected to their wielders' hearts. **

Kairi wandered from the sandlot and over to the tram common area of Twilight Town. Not much had really changed in the area since the last time Kairi visited, which, now that she thought about it, was a year ago with Sora. There were a couple new shops and restaurants here and there. They were nice additions, but not on her radar. Establishing that she was in a familiar place, Kairi's eyes searched around the town looking for anybody she could've known that lived here. She not only knew about Axel and his crew living here, but she also remembered Hayner, Pence, and Olette, the three who took her in and looked after her the first time she stumbled into Twilight Town. Any friend would've been nice, but luck wasn't on her side this time as she couldn't find a single familiar soul in sight.

The sound of the clock tower signaling the top of the hour grabbed Kairi's attention, forcing her to look up towards the station. _I've never been up there before, let's go check it out. _She jogged up the hill, and unintentionally past the spot where Hayner and co. usually hung out during their off time. Instead, Kairi found herself at the top of the hill where the train station was located. She looked up at the clock tower, feeling a tingle within her heart. _For some reason, this clock tower feels really familiar to me. _Yet, the familiar feeling of the clock tower was the least of her worries. There was no sign of intelligent life, and she was concerned about it.

"It's...awfully quiet…"

Just as Kairi predicted, small shadow creatures appeared on the ground and then popped up right in front of her. An involuntary gasp escaped her as she recognized the small, bug-like creatures with glowing yellow eyes.

"H-Heartless?" She cried as she summoned her Keyblade. "What are THEY doing here?"

Kairi took one look at her Keyblade and held it tightly before charging into battle against the Shadows. Despite being thrown off by the Heartless appearing in what she considered to be a bad time, she kept to her warrior instincts and fought them off. One by one, she stabbed and swiped her Keyblade, with each Shadow disintegrating upon contact. One attempted to attack her from behind, only for Kairi to sense its presence and counter with a hard swing. She was amused that her strength was still as great as it was a year ago, but for her stamina, it left much to be desired. While fighting off a few Heartless never hurt her, it was when they kept on spawning that drained her energy.

"I should've kept up with my training." Kairi panted as Heartless continued to surround her.

As the last of the Shadow Heartless were wiped out, Kairi took a look at the now empty station. She wouldn't be alone for very long, for the ground started to shake. Trying to retain her balance, Kairi looked down on the ground and saw a large shadow form on the ground before it started to shift and transform into a live creature right before her eyes. She watched in horror as the shadow grew larger until it formed into a Darkside that was at least forty feet tall. Her heart started racing as she watched the large Heartless charged his fist, ready for an attack. Facing off against multiple little Shadow Heartless alone was one thing, but could she really handle something this size on her own? There was only one way to find out.

Kairi gripped her Keyblade tightly and went charging in towards the Darkside, avoiding its attack. The impact of its fist hitting the ground caused the ground to shake, knocking her off her feet. Picking herself back up, Kairi looked up and watched the Darkside form a large orb with its hands that broke off into multiple smaller orbs of dark matter that went charging towards her. She hopped to her feet and held her Keyblade in front of her, forming a barrier in front of her that blocked the dark matter. Taking advantage of the now defenseless Heartless, Kairi dashed forward and began swinging against the Darkside's arm. It reacted to her powerful swings and thrust a fist smack down in front of her, nearly squashing her.

"How am I supposed to take this down myself?" She asked herself running out of reach.

"Kairi!"

Kairi turned around and noticed a few familiar faces, two guys and a girl, rushing towards her, each one of them donning a Keyblade. She smiled widely when she recognized the blonde, red, and black hair that each of them wore.

"Roxas! Axel! Xion!" She cried out.

Xion crouched into a battle stance. "You think you can use some help, Kairi?" 

"I knew you'd be hopeless without me." Axel snickered as he ran a hand through his hair.

"It appears some of our enemies just don't know when to quit." Roxas growled as pointed the Oblivion Keyblade forward. "You asked for it!" He yelled before charging in.

Kairi nodded. "Let's go, everyone!"

"Roxas! Behind you!" Xion called out as she swung her Two Become One Keyblade and took out a Shadow.

Roxas grunted as a Shadow Heartless clawed him from behind. He whipped around and wiped it clean with his Keyblade, throwing a reassuring smile towards Xion. He looked up and saw the Darkside shoot dark matter towards him and Xion. He jumped in front of her and held Oblivion in front, guarding the matter and letting it disintegrate. The two split as Roxas hurried over to help Axel, who was surrounded by Shadows. Xion helped Kairi with hauling on the creature's arm, which only seemed to be barely scratching it.

Kairi breathed heavily, attempting to conserve her energy. "Where...did that thing...come from?"

"Your guess is as good as mine." Xion answered.

Roxas and Xion both swung their Keyblades towards the Shadow Heartless, wiping them out. They exchanged affirmative looks with Axel as if all three of them knew of a plan.

"Kairi, here!" Axel cupped his hands and bent down. "I'll toss you up! Attack the head! That's it's weak point!"

"How do you know?"

"Trust me, Axel and I have battled plenty of these." Roxas added in agreement.

Kairi firmly nodded and ran over to Axel. She stepped into his hands before he effortlessly tossed her into the air and onto the shoulders. As her feet planted on the Darkside, it began to shake its whole body, trying to throw her back off. Kairi gripped onto one of its...hairs(?) and hung on for dear life. After attempting to throw a fist at the other three, Roxas and Xion went after its arm while Axel cast fire spells on the Shadow Heartless that seemed to have kept appearing. Kairi sighed in relief as she could feel the Darkside weakening and moving a lot less. She climbed all the way back up and began relentlessly attacking the head with power stabs, jabs, and swings.

Between the tag team of Kairi stabbing her Keyblade and Axel casting a fire spell into the head, the Darkside finally fell in defeat. Kairi jumped off the shoulder and landed firmly on the ground. All four of them watched the giant Heartless melt away into smoke until it completely faded away. Axel huffed as he kicked some dirt in the direction where the Heartless was. Xion and Roxas high-fived each other. The celebration didn't last long as Xion looked over and saw Kairi collapse down onto her knees, holding her forehead.

"Kairi? You okay?" Roxas asked, looking at her funny.

"Yeah…" She breathed out rubbing the sides of her head. "I just...eh…that battle took a lot out of me."

Axel crossed his arms. "You have to be awfully rusty to be this exhausted after that battle. Guess that year of sleep really did a number on ya. Have you been keeping up with your training since you woke up?"

Kairi sighed, shaking her head. "No...I haven't really used my Keyblade since returning home and even so, I don't think my training did much good to begin with."

"That's what happens when you have the 'damsel in distress' reputation and nobody bothers to train you until the last minute…" Axel shook his head.

Xion scoffed. "At least she isn't judged just by the color of her hair…"

"I'm sorry you guys had to deal with that. I really am rusty, and there's so much going on at once right now. I didn't even know I'd end up here. I just summoned a portal with my Keyblade and hoped for the best." Kairi explained while taking a seat on the station steps. "Honestly, I don't even know where I should go from here."

Roxas put a hand to his chin and thought for a moment before smiling with an idea in mind. "Hey, you might be hungry." He held his hand out for her. "Why don't we head down to Le Grande Bistro? I'm sure you could use a full square meal and then you'll be back on your feet."

"I was getting hungry myself." Xion added in, resting a hand over her stomach. "We should all go."

Kairi smiled and nodded as her stomach started to gurgle. She took Roxas' hand as he helped her up from the steps. Lucky for them, Le Grande Bistro wasn't that far of a walk from the station. It was just down the hill and in the tram common area that Kairi had strolled through earlier. She did find the restaurant cute earlier, but didn't pay much attention other than that. The outdoor seating area reminded her of a cafe back home on the island where she and Selphie used to go get coffee and just sit and chat. Kairi did find herself intrigued by the fact that Le Grande Bistro seemed to be filled with, of all things, penguins! These weren't ordinary penguins though, they were actually servers, hosts, and bussers. _I thought penguins lived in a more arctic climate, _Kairi thought to herself as she saw a penguin come outside, serving tea to a young couple.

Once inside, a penguin led the group to their table, while passing by, Kairi couldn't help but grow curious at the kind of food they served here. It was definitely different than what she was used to. A lot of it looked unrecognizable if she could be honest. Destiny Islands had a way of keeping their cuisine simple, but would typically get creative with anything related to the tropical fruit they were known for. Everyone took a seat and immediately began looking to the menu. Being a Keyblade wielder surely worked up an appetite.

"Hmm...what looks good here…?" Kairi asked as her eyes browsed the menu. She dug into her pocket and dug out her munny pouch. "Better question, what looks good that I can afford?"

"Well, the Ratatouille is one of their specialties." Xion pointed out.

"Well...what is it exactly?"

Roxas and Axel looked at each other. "Vegetable...thing…?" They bother answered in unison.

Kairi sighed as her eyes scanned the menu."Hmm... I don't like mushrooms, eggplant, eel, lemon…"

"We're gonna be here all day, aren't we?" Axel asked rolling his eyes only for Roxas to jab him in the arm with his elbow.

Their penguin server approached their table. "Is something the matter, miss?" He asked politely.

"I'm sorry, most of this food is just...unfamiliar and sounds weird to me."

Xion gave the penguin a reassuring smile. "She comes from an island far away and they're not known for having fancy restaurants like this one."

"Hmm, perhaps you'd like a word with the head chef?"

Kairi smiled shyly. "If it's not too much trouble."

The penguin chuckled and shook his head. "Not at all. He'll be right with you!"

Kairi watched as Axel and Roxas exchanged looks with each other while pointing at each other's menus. She felt bad about being such a picky eater, but if she could be truly honest, she didn't have much of an appetite either. Between using up so much energy to travel from Destiny Islands to Twilight Town, and the ambush with Darkside, Kairi was mentally and physically exhausted. She rested her chin on her hand as she tried to wonder how the heck she was going to pull off this journey by herself. She didn't even know where to begin, yet ended up being very lucky that of all places, her Keyblade would send her to Twilight Town.

Xion smiled widely and looked to the side of the table as she caught sight of a rat with blue fur scattering from the kitchen and across the restaurant to their table. Any normal person would've freaked out at the sight of a rodent running around in a restaurant, but considering this little guy was actually the one cooking the food and there has yet to be a report of anyone getting food poisoning, it never bothered the locals. Kairi, on the other hand, was NOT used to this. She wasn't usually one to freak out over rodents or bugs, especially considering her past experiences dealing with Heartless, but when it came to being around food in a restaurant, that was a completely different story.

"Hey, Little Chef!" Xion and the boys greeted the little rat as he hopped onto the penguin followed shortly behind him.

Kairi stared wide-eyed at Little Chef. "G-guys...why is there _a rat _on the dinner table?"

Roxas laughed at Kairi's horrified look. "This is Little Chef! He's the head chef here!"

"You're kidding…"

"Believe me, I found it disturbing at first too." Axel said leaning back in his seat.

Little Chef scurried in front of Kairi, standing up on his hind legs and gazing up at her with big round eyes and a toothy grin.

"Uh...hi?" Kairi greeted, followed by a giggle. "You're actually kinda cute now that I think about it." That's when it hit her that she was supposed to ask him about food recommendations. "I'm sorry, I hate to be a pain, but I'm just not used to the type of food you serve here. What would you recommend for a picky eater?"

"The lovely lady doesn't have a preference for mushrooms, eggplant, eel, and lemon." The penguin clarified for the tiny chef.

Little Chef put his little paw underneath his fuzzy chin and thought for a moment. His round ears twitched and a wide smile formed on his face as an idea popped into his head. He hopped onto the penguin's shoulder and began whispering into his ear. _Hm, I guess he can communicate with other animals, but not humans? Then how can Mickey talk to us, but not him? Better question, how can Goofy talk to us, but not Pluto? _Kairi asked herself in her mind. _I must be losing my mind if I'm debating THIS. _Little Chef and the penguin both exchanged satisfying nods before Little Chef began scurrying back into the kitchen.

"The chef has informed me that he will be preparing a special dish for you, miss, and that he promises you won't be disappointed." The penguin announced.

"Thank you, sir."

Everybody else at the table had their orders taken and not too long afterwards, the food was served. Kairi's mouth started to water as the various scents of meats, garnish, and spices tickled her senses. True, the names of the food sounded strange, but as soon as she got a look at it, her stomach was ready for chow time. Kairi's eyes watched as her plate was set in front of her. It was definitely the most unique in the restaurant at the time seeing as how it was a special dish, seafood crepes, made just for her. Little Chef hopped onto the table and presented it to her, awaiting for the first reaction.

Kairi dug into her crepe and took a bit. Suddenly, it seemed as if her culinary world turned upside down. She was used to eating seafood on the island, but not in a way that creatively combined such succulent flavors and wrapped it all up in a light pastry. Flavors of scallops, shrimp, and crab all reminded her of home. It was perfect for her, a soft moan escaping her full mouth to cement her reaction.

"This is amazing…" Kairi complimented with a happy sigh. Little Chef twiddled with his paws, smiling shyly. "Thanks, Little Chef!" She held out her index finger, allowing Little Chef to 'high-five' her.

Xion nudged her in the arm. "I told you Little Chef was amazing!" She looked over at Axel, who was scarfing down his sea bass. "Axel! You're gonna get a stomachache!"

"Can't help it, I'm starving!" Axel argued with a mouthful of food.

Roxas scoffed while shaking his head. "Axel, you're gonna make all the pregnant women look like they're on diets!"

"Say that again, and I'm putting YOU on an ice cream-free diet!"

"Yes, Mother…" 

Kairi burst out laughing. "So, who's the father?" She asked, joining in the joke.

Roxas snickered. "Papa Saix! He and Axel argue like an old married couple!" His sideyed Axel and noticed a deadly glare on the redhead's face. "Oh, _my bad_...it's actually Papa Isa." He sarcastically remarked while rolling his eyes.

Axel groaned, standing up from his seat and earning unneeded attention from others. "That's it! No more ice cream for you!"

"I didn't do anything!"

Xion rolled her eyes and rested her hand over her forehead. "Boys...can't live with them…"

Kairi nodded at first, only for her expression to fade to a more saddened one. "Can't live without them either…" She muttered softly to herself.

Roxas and Axel continued to banter and argue over whatever stupid topic was on their minds until one of the penguins, assumed to be the one in charge, cleared his throat and clapped his wings, grabbing the boys' attention. Embarrassed from noticing all the unwanted attention from fellow diners, they sat down with flushed faces. The penguin put his wing up to his beak and shushed them, earning apologetic nods from both Roxas and Axel. It didn't take much longer for Xion to notice that Kairi was being quiet. She hadn't even finished her food while everyone else had.

"You okay?" Xion asked.

"Hm?" Kairi snapped back to reality and noticed three pairs of eyes on her. "Y-Yeah...I'm okay. I'm just...really tired, that's all."

Roxas smiled and nodded. "You had a tough day today."

"Come on over to our place. You can crash there overnight. We have a couch for you to crash on." Axel offered.

"Are you guys sure? I don't want to feel like I'm intruding."

"Of course. Besides, you have nowhere else to go." Xion answered. "And we'd feel much better if you stayed with good friends instead of out in the streets."

Kairi let out a big yawn. "Well, I guess maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea to have a good night's sleep."


	4. The Heart's Path

**Author's Note: Whoa! I did not realize this chapter was turning out this long! Honestly, I feel like the chapters are gonna start possibly getting longer as we get farther in the fic, but I'm curious, do you guys prefer medium-length chapters like the previous ones or longer chapters like this one? **

* * *

Chapter 4: The Heart's Path

_**The night I spent in Twilight Town, I had a dream. It was unlike any dream I ever had. It felt familiar, yet I had no idea what was going on. It was then, that I realized what Sora had tried to tell me about that day on the island a couple years ago, the day we chose to build a raft and go sailing to different worlds. It wasn't a dream, it was a warning of what was to come.**_

Kairi's resting body floated through what appeared to be a dark abyss. In a flash of light, she found herself in a place that felt surreal, yet familiar at the same time. She was standing on a platform that had what she would consider a beautiful stained glass design on it. _What...is this? _She thought to herself as her head travelled all around. There seemed to be no other sign of life in this…'realm' other than herself. Kairi's eyes travelled down to the platform and focused on a part of it that looked familiar to her. There was a boy on the platform's design. It wasn't just any boy, but one that she was immediately drawn to thanks to the familiar spiky brown hair that he had.

_It's...Sora! _Kairi thought to herself as her eyes focused on the boy's face. Surrounding him were profiles of others. Riku, Donald, Goofy, Roxas, Ven, and Xion, all in addition to herself.. Kairi slowly stepped ahead and stared up almost as if she were looking for an opening in the atmosphere that would allow her to escape. She sighed, still having no clue where she was, how she got there, or why she was there. The sound of a heartbeat began to echo through her ears. Kairi quickly turned around as she began to wonder if there was somebody behind her. There was nobody else.

**Sky...Sea...Where hearts return.**

A gasp escaped Kairi's mouth as a soothing voice that spoke those words echoed around her. Who was this mysterious voice? Why was this voice talking to her? What did this voice mean by what they said?

**First, you must choose which path you will take.**

_Path? _Kairi thought as she saw three pillars rise in front of her. One of them contained a shield, one of them contained a staff, and one contained a sword. _A sword, a staff, and a shield. _She walked ahead and began to examine each one of the weapons. _Am I supposed to choose one of these? _Kairi's eyes studied each of the weapons before they were drawn to the sword. She slowly walked up to the pillar and rested her hand against the sword. She took the sword and held it out in front of her, staring upon her confused reflection in the sharpened blade. It had all seemed to easy for her to just take a sword, but according to her, the voice was in charge at the moment.

**The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A sword of terrible destruction. Will you travel the path of the warrior?**

"Yes."

Kairi gripped the sword tightly as she saw the other pillars and weapons sink back into the ground. The ground started to vibrate as she saw a set of steps form in front of the platform and work their way up to what appeared to be another in the distance. Instinctively, Kairi ran forward and followed the stained glass steps. It had felt she was running forever seeing as how the steps just continued to keep forming and the next station was quite a distance. Kairi stopped and looked back in her tracks. The previous platform had disappeared. _I guess I have no choice but to keep going forward. _She ran up the steps until she was able to reach the next platform.

This next platform, much like the previous one, also had a familiar feel to it. Kairi looked down and saw that there was someone new on the stained glass portrait. It was a girl. Much like the platform before, there were profiles of those who were connected to this girl. One of them was Sora, the others were Riku and Namine. Circling her body profile were six different colored hearts that represented the Princesses of Heart. _This is me? _She thought, studying the image.

**To find is to receive, and to receive is to find. But first, you must decide the heart's path.**

Kairi looked up and saw what appeared to be numerous projections that illustrated her life's moments. She recognized these moments. They were moments such as her spending time with her grandmother in the library of Radiant Garden, the last time she and Sora watched the sunset together before taking off on their raft voyage, bumming out on the beach with Sora and Riku, among many others. Her eyes followed three projections that floated down right in front of her. One of them was a memory of her fighting against a hooded Xion in the Keyblade Graveyard, the second one was the memory from when Namine rescued her from the castle dungeon in The World That Never Was, and the third one was a memory of her, Sora, and Riku all sitting at the paopu tree.

Assuming she was meant to interact with one of these, Kairi dragged her feet across the platforms. If these were anything like the weapons, then she would have to pick one. Which one looked the most appealing to her? Namine was a very good friend of Kairi's and Xion was a newer friend that she was becoming close with, but nothing could come close to her bond with Sora and Riku. As she came upon the memory, Kairi reached out and rested her hand, feeling a surge of energy flow through her.

**Balance...A body and mind of equal merit and equal potential. Is this the path you choose?**

"Yes."

**You value strength, and you want balance. Your adventure begins in the dead of night. Your road won't be easy, but a rising sun awaits you.**

"Okay…?"

**Your path is set. Stray too far from it, and you will find yourself in the endless abyss between light and dark.**

Kairi gasped as she watched all of the memories disappear before her eyes. In front of her, a decent-sized door appear. To Kairi, it looked like just a door with nothing in front of it. Then again, this obviously had to be a dream, right? Which meant that there was something strange about this door, right? This only pushed Kairi to keep going. She walked up to the door, gripping both handles, and yanking the door open towards her.

A bright light shone from the other side nearly blinding her. Kairi, shielding her eyes with her hand, walked through the door. Her surroundings seemed to be filled with that light. She looked behind and saw that the previous platform had disappeared. _Now what? I'm stuck in this...light. Is this really it? _Kairi watched as the light faded. She was still in the same area. In fact, it looked like she was back on the same platform that Sora was on, only this time, the color was red as opposed to blue.

**Your heart holds the brightest light of all.**

The sword Kairi had chosen transformed into Destiny's Embrace and appeared in her hand. She gripped it tight and gave it a swing before stepping forward. In a matter of seconds, Shadow Heartless began to appear here. Kairi felt her heart skip beats and her arms shaking as she crouched into a battle stance ready to fight the creatures much like how she did back in Twilight Town.

**There will come a time when you will need to fight for all that matters. Keep your light burning strong.**

Kairi gripped the blade tightly before charging at the Heartless. Starting to feel more confident than she did back in Twilight Town, she swung her Keyblade and took out multiple Heartless with a single combo. _Yeah! _She thought as she watched a couple of the Shadows disappear. _I'm already feeling warmed up! _Kairi sprinted towards the corner of the platform where a couple Shadows lurked and sent them flying into the air with a stab from a slide dash. She looked up and jumped into an aerial combo to easily off the Shadows. From the corner of her eye, Kairi saw a Shadow lunge towards Kairi as she fell back down and guarded against the lunging Heartless, taking the Shadow out immediately after landing back on her feet.

When it seemed like the first wave of creatures were destroyed, another wave appeared. Kairi grunted as she felt one knock into her back. She immediately whirled around and sliced at the Shadow, taking it out. _How many of these are there? _Kairi thought to herself as she guarded against another Shadow charging towards her. While fighting the Shadows, Kairi noticed that there were multiple platforms ahead of her, each connected by a familiar set of steps. Once the second wave of creatures were wiped out and a third wave appeared, she came to the conclusion that these creatures would just keep appearing and there was no ridding them.

Kairi threw her Keyblade over her shoulder and began to jog up the steps. As she went the distance, more Shadows began to appear, almost as if they were stalking her, desperate and hungry for her heart. Kairi would typically ignore them unless one jumped in front of her, to which she would take out with one heavy swing. _No point wasting my time and energy on you small fries, _she thought to herself as she slid forward and wiped out a couple Shadows with a slide dash into a ground combo, continuing her way up the steps and not looking back at the now large number of Shadows that had infested the Station of Awakening.

After travelling up two sets of steps and one additional platform, identical to the previous one that had her profile on it except it was green this time around, Kairi found herself on a final one. This time, it looked different than the rest. Kairi focused on the ground and saw that it didn't have just Sora or Kairi on it. It had both of them. They were set up in a yin and yang sort of formation with what looked like a paopu fruit in between them. Having recalled the legend of the paopu, Kairi studied this formation of them and the star-shaped fruit. _Our hearts are connected, _she cited to herself.

In front of Kairi, a light shone through, similar to the one in the secret place. Feeling her heart being drawing to it, she stepped forward and stared right up, hoping she would find the one this voice belonged to.

**As you get closer to the light, your power will only grow. There is beauty, yet there is also great danger. Fear will be your greatest enemy.**

The ground began to shake, causing Kairi to turn and look back at what looked like to be dark matter forming from the paopu fruit on the platform. Her eyes widened, an involuntary gasp escaping her as what looked like to be a stream of Shadow Heartless erupted from the ground and began to swirl around as if it were a twister. Kairi nearly felt all of the blood rush from her face. She remembered this. It was a Demon Tide. It wasn't just a swarm of Heartless. It was a monster, a monster that was responsible for nearly killing not just her, but everyone she loved.

As the Demon Tide continued to swirl, Kairi took a few steps, never losing intense eye contact with the nightmare creature. The Demon Tide swirled in place before beginning to swirl towards her. Kairi, giving into her first instinct, turned and began running away from it only to find she wasn't getting very far when she reached the edge of the platform and nearly fell off. She regained her balance from her close call and turned, finding her face to face with the Demon Tide once again. Kairi's twisting stomach began cease as soon as Destiny's Embrace appeared in her hands again. It throbbed almost as if it were telling her to fight the Demon Tide. Despite her body trembling from the reminders of the traumatic events that were caused by this creature, Kairi gripped her Keyblade with both hands and charged in towards the Demon Tide. Any Shadows that were flung at her from the swarm were swung at and taken out instantly.

_You did this...you will pay for what you did! _Kairi's thoughts yelled inside her head. The only thing on her mind was cold revenge on the damage the Demon Tide caused for her and her friends. She started off by charging towards the bottom of the Demon Tide. _If I can take out the bottom, maybe that'll do some good? _She asked herself. Unfortunately, she didn't have the same luck as Sora did when he fought the Demon Tide in the Keyblade Graveyard and received help from Keyblade wielders of the past, nor did Kairi even have her friends by her side, she was on her own. With a couple ground combos, Kairi began wailing attacks on the bottom, only to find that more Shadows seemed to appear in the defeated ones' places. _What the…? _She thought as she saw her attacks were basically doing no good. Becoming distracted with her confusion, the Demon Tide lunged forward and struck her, sending her flying across. Kairi was able to aerial recover and land right on her feet.

_How did Sora do this last time? Before the 'help from the past' showed up? _Kairi asked herself as the Demon Tide started chasing her around the platform. _There has to be a weak point..._She paused in her tracks and studied the creature until she could barely see through the topmost area and saw that there was a large orb with a magnetic force in it. _That! That must be what's holding the Shadows together! The core! _Kairi nodded affirmatively as she readied herself for her infiltration strategy. She stared intensely at the Demon Tide while it swirled in place as if it were returning the intense eye contact, despite not technically having any one set of eyes. It lunged forward while Kairi began dashing towards it.

During her charge, Kairi noticed that the Demon Tide was flinging Shadows towards her, almost as if it were using them as weapons. With one handed swings, she would take out the flung Shadows easily, yet she noticed that they had a particular weight to them. Her eyes darted between the Demon Tide and the flung Shadows. _I wonder..._she thought to herself. Kairi jumped up and used flung Shadows as support to help bounce her way up to the top. As dangerous as it was, she rode on top of the Demon Tide, hoping it would give her easier access to the core. Kairi carefully stepped up towards the front of the stream, where the core was located, occasionally having to hold on for dear life while the Demon Tide shook violently.

Kairi grunted as she used all the physical strength she had to climb by hand towards the core. She winced in pain as a couple Shadows leapt from the stream and clawed at her, only for the Shadows to receive a strong swing to the faces by her Keyblade. Once reaching the top, Kairi stood up, attempting to keep her balance, and began wailing on the Demon Tide with combos until enough Shadows were wiped out to reveal the dark red core. Tightly gripping her Keyblade, Kairi thrust it into the core, causing the Demon Tide to react even harsher. It shook even too much for Kairi to hold herself on it and she was flung off.

Landing on her feet, Kairi only had a split second to keep eye contact with the Demon Tide before it lunged forward and swept her off the ground. Her entire body scrambled in attempt to escape the harsh clutches. It had appeared that when she was snatched by the Demon Tide, the platform she was standing on also began to sink into darkness. She gasped as the force of darkness started to swallow her. It wasn't enough that a Demon Tide snatched her again, but now she was falling to the darkness and failing in her attempt to fight against it.

**The most powerful oath has been made. You are the one who will keep it.**

Kairi's arms jerked around as she attempted to prevent herself from completely losing herself. She looked up and past the ripples of darkness, a light appeared. From it, a very familiar figure began flying down towards her with his hand reaching out, almost as if he were trying to grab her. Kairi gasped as she recognized who the figure was. _Sora! _She cried in her mind. Her arms struggled even more as she attempted to reach out and grab Sora's hand. With the darkness overpowering Kairi's body, she was unable to make contact with him. Her helpless eyes stared into Sora's saddened eyes as the limited view of him was slowly obstructed by dark matter.

"Kairi!" Sora shouted in anguish.

"Sora!"

**Oathkeeper…it is time to awaken…**

**-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/**

"Kairi...Kairi…"

Kairi continued to shake her head as she remained in a deep sleep, mumbling Sora's name over and over again. Axel, who was only whispering her name in attempt to wake her up from her nightmare, placed a hand on her shoulder and began to lightly shake her, causing her to shoot up in bed nearly shouting. Her hands gripped the blanket tightly as her sweaty body continued to tremble and her breathing became heavier. The nightmare had hit her hard enough that she could barely get a word out. Instead, Axel sat on the edge of the couch she was crashing on and waited for Kairi to catch her breath.

"Axel!" She choked out his name.

"You okay? You sounded like you were having a freaky dream." He asked, rubbing the side of his temple.

Kairi held the sides of her face as her breathing continued to stay heavy, not making eye contact with Axel. "There were these platforms...and memories...and Heartless...and a Demon Tide! It swallowed me up!" Her body started trembling at the mention of the latter.

Axel lightly held Kairi by the arms. "Kairi, calm down…"

"I saw _him _Axel…" She choked out as she crumbled into Axel's arms. "He was there...I saw him." Her voice shook as tears fell down her face. "He slipped away...again."

Hearing Kairi's soft cries, Axel didn't have to think twice about who she was talking about. Between hearing her mumbled Sora's name repeatedly towards the end of her dream, and seeing her heartbreaking reaction, Axel couldn't help but sympathize with her. He never was the softest guy on the block, nor the best at providing comfort, but when the moment called for it, he always put his heart into making sure his friends were taken care of. Kairi was no different, especially with how they bonded over the time they had spent together during their Keyblade training. Axel sighed heavily as he lightly wrapped his arms around Kairi, rubbing her back.

"It was only a nightmare." He softly said. "You're safe now, it's okay."

Kairi quickly lifted herself up and wiped her tears. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to wake you up."

"Eh, I was on my way to the bathroom, so it's no biggie. I'm more concerned about Isa wa-"

"Too late…" The dark voice of Isa cut him off.

Axel scratched the back of his head. "Sorry…it's nothing, go back to bed."

"Believe me, that's the plan. I'd like to get through _one _night of sleep without you waking me up." He said going into the kitchen and having a glass of water.

"You're one to talk! You practically kick me off the bed every night!"

Isa shushed Axel. "You're gonna wake up the other two, Lea." He walked over to Kairi with her own glass of water and handed it to her. "Here. I know we're not on the best of terms, but this should make you feel better."

Kairi sipped the water, allowing the ice to rest on her lips. "Thanks." She whispered with a weak smile. While it was true that she and Isa were on weird terms considering previous events such as her imprisonment in The World That Never Was and the battle in the Keyblade Graveyard where her lucky charm was shattered by him, this was the ice breaking moment that had Isa and Kairi actually set aside their differences and past grudges.

Isa nodded. "Now, if you'll excuse me, my mission to sleep still stands." He held up a hand waved before walking back to the bedroom, nearly walking smack into Roxas and Xion, who both emerged from their bedrooms.

"Guys?" Kairi asked as she took notice of their presence.

"Kairi? We thought we heard you." Xion said as she came over and sat next to her on the couch.

"What's going on here?" Roxas asked sitting on the coffee table.

Axel playfully patted Kairi on the head. "Little Red here had a bad dream." She couldn't help but smile weakly at the nickname he had given her back during their training.

"You okay?" Xion asked resting a hand on her shoulder.

Kairi nodded. "I'll be okay." She placed a hand on her chest. "It always helps having good friends around."

Roxas curled his hand into a fist. "Hey, we all know what you're going through."

"Thanks you guys. You came in at the right time."

"By the way," Axel raised an eyebrow. "You never did tell us why you left the island. We kinda asked you earlier and you just shrugged it off. Something on your mind?"

Kairi shook her head. "You'd think I'm crazy. Everyone else does, even Riku. I think it's better if I just try and sleep and then I'll be on my way tomorrow."

"But Kairi, if you're in trouble or something, we want to help you." Roxas offered.

Xion nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we're all in your corner."

"Well, this may sound crazy, but I think I found a way to save Sora." She walked over to her knapsack and pulled out the charm piece. Returning to the couch, Kairi held out the piece for everyone surrounding her to see. "This is a piece of a-"

"It's a piece of a thalassa shell!" Xion exclaimed, cutting Kairi off.

Roxas looked at her with an eyebrow raised. "Xion?"

"Wait here for a sec!"

The other three watched Xion jump from the couch and rush back into her bedroom, leaving confused looks on the boys' faces. Kairi couldn't help but wonder if Xion knew something about this. That was the only explanation for her reacting the way she did. All three sets of eyes followed Xion as she stepped back outside from room and hurried back over to the couch.

"So...what's this all about, Xion?" Axel asked.

Xion's expression grew serious. "Axel, Roxas, remember a couple days ago when I showed you what I found at the old mansion?" The boys nodded in reply. "Well…" She held out what looked like a piece of thalassa shell that looked identical to the one Kairi had. "Look at this, they're identical."

"Whoa! So I'm not crazy after all!" Kairi exclaimed as she held her piece next to Xion's. "They're identical!"

"I was strange, Kairi. When I found it, I just knew it was important. My mind started to flash back through various memories that you and Sora shared together, with a special emphasis on the ones involving your lucky charm." She curled her hand into a fist and held the piece tightly. "I also could never forget this seashell's unique design. It was my favorite seashell from your island and…" Xion looked at Roxas, sweetly smiling at him. "I remembered always bringing them back for Roxas during his extended slumber."

Roxas smiled back at her and nodded. "Yeah...I remember those."

Kairi nodded in agreement. "Xion, I felt something powerful in my heart when I found this piece too. It was almost as if Sora's heart was reacting to it. Maybe he was reacting to your piece too."

"I wouldn't be surprised. Even as my own person, I still hold a strong connection to Sora."

Axel listened intensely, understanding what the girls were saying, but still also trying to wrap his head around the whole idea. "So, are you girls thinking this can somehow save Sora?" He asked, earning smiles and nods from both of them. "Well, I still have yet to grasp the context of all these 'connections' Sora has, but if that lucky charm of yours really was that important to you two, then I guess it should help."

"But...it's in pieces, and judging by the size of the two pieces you have, it looks like it might be in a lot of pieces." Roxas pointed out as he took Xion's piece and examined it.

Kairi sighed, brushing her fingertips against her piece. "I know, and if another piece ended up all the way here in Twilight Town, then the pieces are probably scattered across different worlds. Honestly, I still believe this can save Sora, but I'm not completely sure either. I don't even know where to begin with this."

"Hmm…" Axel thought for a moment. "Wait, why don't you go see Yen Sid at his tower? He seems to know everything. Maybe he can offer you some direction. He was right about Terra, Aqua, and Ventus. No reason why he wouldn't know anything about this?"

"Master Yen Sid! Of course! Why didn't I think of that?" Kairi asked, mentally smacking herself in the forehead. "Tomorrow, I'll go see him! Axel, didn't we take the train from here to Yen Sid's tower after we finished our training from Merlin?" She asked, Axel nodded in reply. "Then tomorrow, I'll take the train to Master Yen Sid's tower."

Xion watched Kairi stand up at her declaration and followed her lead. "I'll go with you."

Roxas softly gasped as he and Axel both locked eye contact with her. "Xion?"

"Roxas, I owe my life and existence to Sora, and to an extent, Kairi too. It's because of him that all three of us were brought together again. The least I can do, is look after Kairi for him."

Axel and Roxas exchanged worried looks with each other. Sure, Xion was strong, and they could trust her to look after Kairi during her journey, yet it had seemed like the three of them had only just gotten back together after being separated from each other for so long. Were the guys really okay with letting Xion leave their side again only to endure the risk of possibly losing her again? Of course they didn't want to, especially Roxas. They wanted to just keep things simple in life and just stay on the clock tower eating ice cream every day, but Kairi was their friend and someone very important to Sora, and they knew deep down that Xion was the perfect person to accompany her thanks to her connection to Sora and Kairi.

"Well, it's like I always say, when it comes to Keyblade wielding, you're the old hands." Axel said with a heavy sigh.

Xion smiled at her two most important people. "Thank you, Axel. Roxas?" She looked over at her blonde friend that was obviously lost in deep thought. "Roxas?" She walked over shook him lightly.

"Huh?" Roxas asked, snapping out of his thoughts. "Sorry…" He stood up, feeling his stomach twisting into a knot at the thought that he and Xion would actually be separated again. While the average joe wouldn't mind their friend going on a long adventure, Roxas hated the idea that Xion was wanting to go on a journey that put her life in danger. "I...I just need a minute…" He excused himself and walked out of the living room and back into his room.

"Roxas…" Xion reached out for him.

Axel shook his head. "Don't mind him." He waved it off. "So, this is gonna be a ladies' trip, huh?"

Kairi smiled and giggled softly. "I guess so." She looked over at a distressed Xion. "Roxas will be okay."

Xion sighed, sadness in her heart. "Yeah…" She sat back down and focused on Kairi for the time being. "Okay, we need to take the train tomorrow. How much munny do you have?"

"I _had_ 200, but I spent most of it on food today…You?"

"I have 300, but one ticket costs 900 munny."

"I'd offer to help you two out, but I just paid the rent for the apartment, so I'm tight." Axel said scratching the back of his head.

Xion laughed and shook her head. "No need, Axel. You already let me and Roxas live here for free. You've done more than enough for us." She thought for a moment before coming up with an idea. "It seems like our only option is get temporary jobs tomorrow to earn the munny. It'll put us back a day, but better late than never. We can visit the bistro tomorrow and talk to the owner about letting us temporarily work for him."

"Good idea, Xion." Kairi agreed.

Axel tapped his chest with a fist. "Alright then, it's settled. You two have a long day tomorrow and should get some rest then."

"Yeah, but I'm gonna go talk to Roxas first." Xion said standing up and walking towards his bedroom.

Kairi sighed as she watched Xion step into his room. "I appreciate Xion's help, but I can't blame Roxas' reaction. I know what it's like from his end. Being left on the island knowing that Sora and Riku were both risking their lives out there without me knowing whether they were alive or not…"

Axel studied Kairi's empathetic face. While their history together was bumpy in the beginning, he truly did come around and found a little sister in Kairi. With that in mind, he started to care about her as much as he cared about Roxas, Xion, and even Isa. The idea of her going on such a dangerous journey without as much experience as the other guardians only worried him, the more he thought back to what he went through with Xion before. All jokes aside, Axel knew Kairi's heart was strong and it was going to carry her through, whether she was successful or not in her mission.

"You know...I'm gonna be worried sick about you too, Kairi." Axel stammered.

Kairi laughed. "Where did this 'Mr. Sensitive' Axel come from?"

"When a man has experienced enough loss in his life, sometimes it's time to just set aside the ego and 'cool' attitude and just speak from the heart."

"Well, I always knew you were a softy deep down." She poked her temple with her index finger. "I always kept that memorized."

Axel chuckled before standing up. "Well, Little Red, you've got a long day tomorrow. Get some rest, and no more nightmares, got it memorized?"

Kairi lay down back on the couch. "Yep...got it memorized." She softly muttered as she instantly began to drift back to sleep.

Axel laughed and shook his head before leaving Kairi to drift back into her deep slumber. He walked past Roxas' bedroom that was shut and knew the two of them were talking. Part of him wanted to intervene, but he also knew deep down that the two had to talk in private. Axel sighed heavily as he let his two friends be and walked into his and Isa's bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

After confirming her plans with Kairi, Xion excused herself to go speak with Roxas. She knocked on the door a few times, letting him know she was coming in. Cracking the door open, she silently stepped into the dark bedroom and saw Roxas sitting on the edge of his bed, hiding his face in his hands. Xion dragged her bare feet across the carpeted floor and sat next to him, resting a hand on his back. He jumped at her touch and looked into her concern-filled eyes.

Even Roxas hated seeing her with a worried expression on her face. He started to remember back to the first time she smiled and how alive he felt. It was almost like he knew she was special to him right then and there, but couldn't describe what he was feeling. Even now, his ever growing anxiety over possibly losing Xion again confused him. He had never expressed such emotions like this with anyone else, even with Axel. What was this powerful feeling circulating throughout his heart and his body?

"You okay?" Xion asked, smiling weakly.

Roxas smiled softly at her. "Yeah, thanks Xion." He broke eye contact and stared at the floor. "I'm sorry...It's strange, I can't seem to figure out why I reacted the way I did."

"You're worried about me, I understand."

"Xion...I feel like we only just found each other, and now you're leaving again."

"But it's not forever, Roxas." Xion reached for Roxas' hand and locked it with hers, eliciting a soft involuntary gasp from him. "You know I'll be back."

Roxas nodded. "Yeah, and we'll go have ice cream on the clock tower."

"Just like always, promise."

"Right, promise." He said before letting out a yawn. "Should I come with you and Kairi? You guys might be able to use the extra protection."

Xion shook her head. "You and Axel need to stay here and keep Twilight Town safe in case the Heartless come back. We'll be fine."

Roxas sighed, smiling sweetly. "I always knew you were strong, Xion." He complimented, earning a soft giggle and a blushing face. He couldn't help but smile widely knowing how he made her feel.

"Are you feeling better?"

"Yeah, I always feel better talking to you." He answered with a nod. "Well, I should probably let you go sleep. You and Kairi have a long day tomorrow."

Xion nodded in agreement. "Yeah." She watched as he shifted his body and got under the blanket, getting comfortable in his bed. "Goodnight, Roxas."

"Goodnight, Xion." He returned with a big yawn.

Xion laughed as she pulled the blanket over the drifting Roxas. She brushed her hand through his spiked hair one last time before shifting to stand up from the bed. Before she could start walking out, something was holding her back. Her stomach started twisting as she turned back and looked at Roxas. Even the sight of him sleeping seemed to make her smile. _You're not the only one scared of what's gonna happen, _she thought to herself as the horrible thought of the two of them being torn apart rushed through her mind.

Tears built up as one fell down Xion's face. She quickly wiped it before turning to walk back out. Once again, the same something held her back. Xion looked back at Roxas one more time before finally doing what her racing heart was telling her to do. She softly stepped over towards his bed and climbed into it, sliding under the blanket before scooting closer to him. Xion looked down and smiled at Roxas' sleeping face once more before lying down next to him, resting her head on his racing chest and wrapping an arm around him. Her heart continued to race, but her stomach stopped twisting as soon as she started holding him. Xion's blue eyes grew heavy and she started to drift to sleep.

Roxas stirred in his sleep at the sudden extra weight on his chest. His head moved around until he caught sight of a sleeping Xion right next to him. Part of him felt very flustered over this, but part of him felt...right. His heart was leaning more towards it feeling right. To Roxas, it didn't just feel right, but his heart started to crave for more. He slowly extended his arm out and rested it around Xion, instinctively tightening his grip and holding her close to him. As much as he enjoyed it, this enjoyment only confused him more. Why was it that Xion was the only one he felt this strongly about and what was this strong feeling?

"You'll come back...I know you will." Roxas muttered as he rested his hand on Xion's arm and drifted back to sleep.


	5. A Long Day's Work

**Author's Note: Ugh! This chapter was all over the place for me! I even had to cut a chunk out of it because it was getting to be too long. Was the chunk plot related? Yes, but the good news is I've found a way incorporate it later on! Gotta love the creative process, right? lol**

* * *

Chapter 5: A Long Day's Work

The clock tower struck 9:00, bringing another sunny day to Twilight Town. Axel had done everyone the courtesy of cooking a big breakfast. Xion and Kairi especially needed the extra energy with all the work they had to that day. Speaking of Kairi, the savory scent of bacon tickled her senses and caused her eyes to flutter open. Her blurred vision began to focus on Roxas and Xion, who were sitting on the floor watching some crime solving program on the television, and darted to the kitchen where Axel and Isa and were shuffling back and forth preparing food. She let out a loud yawn and stretched her arms. Kairi had slept in a little to make up for her waking up in the middle of the previous night, in addition to her not used to sleeping on someone's couch as opposed to a bed.

"Mornin' sleeping beauty!" Axel beamed.

Kairi shook her head. "Hardly, but thanks." She swung her legs off the couch and stood up, giving the rest of her exhausted body a good stretch.

"How'd you sleep?" Roxas asked turning his attention to her.

"Aside from waking up in the middle of the night, not bad."

Xion curled her hand into a fist. "Good. We've got a long day ahead of us."

"That's why I prepared a hearty breakfast for everyone." Axel said as he set the large plate of chocolate chip pancakes in the middle of the table.

Isa rolled his eyes. "Don't you mean _we_?"

"Right, thank you for cracking my eggs and flipping my pancakes…"

Roxas' face beamed as he saw the food being served. "Finally! I'm starving!" He hopped to his feet and dashed to the table with Xion right behind him.

Kairi got up and joined them. "Do you boys need any help?" She asked Isa and Axel. "Maybe I can wish dishes afterwards?"

"Don't you worry your pretty little head." Isa snickered as he pet the top of Kairi's head. "I'll make sure Axel cleans up whatever mess he left."

Axel scoffed as he began serving strips of bacon. "I thought _you _helped."

"I did. I kept the kitchen clean."

Roxas smacked his lips as he saw the pancakes steam in front of him. "Alright! My favorite!" He exclaimed as he grabbed a fork to take one.

"Hold it, blondie! The ladies have a long day of work ahead of them. They get to eat first." Isa interjected.

"Besides, where are your manners?" Axel asked smacking Roxas in the back of the head. "Not doing a very good job impressing Xion." He teased.

"That's not my intent!" Roxas argued with his face flushing bright red. "And can you PLEASE stop hitting me in the back of the head?"

Axel snickered and rested an arm on top of his friend's head. "Well, if you're gonna keep up with the 'Mama Axel' jokes, then I'm gonna treat you like I'm your mother." He paused and exchanged mischievous grins with Isa. "In fact, Isa, Roxas doesn't have anything planned for today. I think he should do the dishes."

Isa joined in with the proposal. "I wholeheartedly agree."

"Whoa! That's not fair!" Roxas waved his hands in front of him. He hopelessly looked to Xion and Kairi for help. "Girls?"

Kairi shrugged and sipped some orange juice. "Sorry, I'm just a guest. My vote doesn't count."

"Which means that the majority vote already overrules." Xion said with a guilty smile.

Roxas groaned loudly and slumped over the table, leaving everyone to laugh at him in his shame. Once the food was all served, everyone started to dig in. Even Kairi, who usually didn't eat a lot, found herself digging into the fluffy sweet pancakes.

After breakfast, everybody dispersed for the day. Axel and Isa went to work while Roxas stayed behind and cleaned up the breakfast dishes. Xion and Kairi walked down the street from Axel's apartment and caught the tram at the closest station. By the time they were due to arrive at the tram common, the bistro would be in the middle of their lunch rush, so Kairi knew the extra help was going to be much appreciated. She admired the friendly neighborhoods the tram passed through, watching locals of various ages enjoy the glow of the springtime flowers. There was even a white shepherd dog playing with his owner, a girl who looked to be about 12-13, that caught her attention. Kairi did always have a fascination with dogs.

Xion tapped Kairi on the shoulder when caught sight of a flock of geese flying towards the town. With it being springtime, now all the birds were migrating back to Twilight Town from being south for the winter. Where did south take them? Nobody knew, but it always always a treat watching the different migrating flocks. Kairi was especially intrigued considering the only birds she really saw on the island were seagulls. It truly was a different side of Twilight Town that she hadn't seen before, and it only made her excited to travel and see more worlds. She finally understood Sora's enthusiasm with traveling across the galaxy and meeting all of these new people, but that only raised more questions for her.

The tram conductor rung the bell when it stopped at the tram common. Kairi and Xion stepped off and took a walk down to the bistro, where the owner, an old duck named Scrooge McDuck, seemed to be chatting away with a customer at one of the outdoor tables.

"Ah! Top of the mornin', lass! How might I be of assistance?" Scrooge greeted them in his Scottish accent.

"Mr. Scrooge, sir, we're in need of temporary day jobs. You think you can help us out?" Xion asked.

Scrooge thought for a moment. "Well, I suppose I can help ya, but do know, I don't pay a hefty penny!"

"It's okay. We just need to make 900 munny each for train tickets."

"In that case, I'll take ye for a day! You and...uh...who is your friend?"

"Oh! This is Kairi." She introduced the redhead.

"Wait! Kairi?"

Kairi tilted her head to the side and raised an eyebrow. "Uh...yeah?"

"I remember ye!"

"You know her?" Xion asked confused.

Scrooge chuckled. "Of course I remember Kairi from her days at Radiant Garden! Oh, she was just the brightest little flower the town had ever seen!" He recalled as he paced back and forth. "Ah, I remember like it was only yesterday. Her grandmother would always bring this little one to town and would always be talkin' about her!"

"My grandmother?" Kairi softly muttered.

"Ah, yes. Mah goodness, what a hoot she was in town! And look at you! You've grown into quite a fine young lady like I always through ye would!" The old duck cleared his throat. "But never mind that! You lassies say you want jobs, eh?"

Xion nodded. "Yes, but we only need them for today."

"Alrighty then, ladies, I will take one of you in the back assistin' our head chef in the kitchen while I'll have one of ye helpin' out on the floor!" Scrooge shook his head as he lead Kairi and Xion into the bistro. "I'm afraid one of our penguins came down with a case of a bad hot flash and can't make it in."

Kairi gasped as she watched Little Chef scurry from the kitchen and towards her. "Hey! Little Chef!" She knelt down and allowed him to crawl onto her hand. "Thanks again for the amazing meal yesterday!" Little Chef smiled and nodded, accepting her gratitude. "Scrooge is making it sound like you can use some help in the kitchen, right?"

Little Chef began smiling widely as his ears perked up. He hopped off Kairi's hand and scurried up her arm, making his way all the way up her body and ending up on top of her head. Kairi didn't think much of it and only saw it as a cute moment of a little critter wanting to ride on top. The admiration quickly turned to confused when she felt Little Chef take handfuls of hair in his paws. What exactly he was planning to do with hair, Kairi had no idea until one tug of a handful of hair caused her left arm to suddenly be lifted up, almost as if someone was controlling her.

"Uh...what are you doing?" Kairi asked, ready to panic at what was happening. "W-whoaaaaa!" She cried out in confusion as she felt LIttle Chef take complete control of her body.

Scrooge laughed. "Looks like Little Chef has found his apprentice for the day!"

"M-Me?" Kairi stammered as Little Chef led her into the kitchen by her hair. "But Little Chef, I'm not exactly the best at cooking. Xion might be better at it."

Little Chef shook his head. Before Kairi could try and argue him again, he directed her hands to start grabbing some spices to add to a soup that was simmering on the stove. Amused, she watched her controlled hands add fresh ground pepper and freshly minced garlic. Once the spices were added, Little Chef directed Kairi's hand to dip a spoon into the soup and lift it to her mouth to taste it. Unexpectedly to Little Chef, as soon as the tip of Kairi's tongue tasted the soup, she immediately spat it out in disgust. The rat hopped down onto the counter and tilted his head in confusion.

"Don't give me that! You know I don't like mushrooms!" Kairi scolded him, placing her hands on her hips. Little Chef rolled his eyes and hopped to the rim of the pot and took a taste himself, giving it a thumbs up and giving her the cue that it was okay to start serving the soup. "Well, at least I don't have to eat it." She muttered as she put two bowls of soup on a tray at the hot plate, ready to be served.

From right behind her, Kairi felt a deep clearing of the throat. Feeling an unpleasant shiver run through her spine, she slowly turned around and found herself staring directly at a man in chef's coat that towered above her with his arms crossed. He was accompanied by a number of men and women all dressed chef's jackets. She laughed nervously as she brushed strands of hair behind her ear.

"So, you're the rookie, eh?" The head chef asked in a rugged Scottish accent.

Kairi tilted an eyebrow up. "A rookie? I'm just here for the day. Besides, I've got Little Chef here!" She smiled as her eyes darted up to her head.

"I got news for you, madam. Just 'cause the rat's got ya under control, don't mean you're gettin' special treatment today. You're here to work, so move your ass and let's go." He demanded before the other chefs retreated to their stations.

"Sheesh, did somebody shove a Keyblade in that guy's-"

"Order up!" Xion called from the other side as she skipped up to the hot plate.

Kairi's eyes widened. "Xion! What are you doing?"

"Food runner! This is perfect. I don't have to kiss ass and I get paid the same amount."

"But you don't get tips."

Xion shrugged. "We don't need tips, only enough to get us tickets for the train."

"True. Well, I hope your staff is better than mine." Kairi wished. "There's a chef back here who is a total d-"

"Madam!" The chef yelled from the other side. "All you're doing is flapping your yap while your crab is coming out so cold that it's still singing 'Under the Sea'! Get on your station!"

Kairi groaned while rolling her eyes. "We'll talk later. Little Chef and I better get cooking before 'top chef' over there pops a vein." She allowed Little Chef to take control of her hands begin chopping chicken. "What is this? Hell's Kitchen? That chef's lucky I'm chopping vegetables and not nuts right now…" She mumbled to herself.

Throughout the rest of the afternoon and early evening, customers continued to pour into Le Grande Bistro, and when customers poured in, so did the orders. Despite how overwhelmed Kairi was starting to become at the amount of orders she had to keep up with, she was amazed that she was able to do so, making the head chef eat his own words. It was all thanks to Little Chef. She was able to cook chicken, seafood, and yes, she even used mushrooms, eggplant, and all of the other foods she didn't like. It seemed as Little Chef controlled her, Kairi's focus was only on earning that money for the train tickets. She had to make her ends' meets for the day, or else she was stuck in Twilight Town.

Xion was also rocking it in the dining room running the food. She was fast and good at avoiding the other penguins that were only about a third of her height. A couple penguins handed her dessert orders and she ran them up to the window. She marveled as Kairi lightly poured some wine into a pan to sear some sea bass in. It did light up on fire briefly before Kairi took it off the burner and served it into a plate with the garnish. She smiled proudly at Xion's reaction to the "show" that she just put on.

After taking a break from cooking, Kairi watched Little Chef hop off her head and start grabbing ingredients to make desserts. _Desserts, hm? Now THIS I'm good at._ She stopped Little Chef before he could hop back on her head and read the recipe from the book. _Yeah...I've got this!_ The kitchen was running low on chocolate souffles, so Kairi opted to make some of those. She grabbed the chocolate mix and started beating egg whites, cream of tartar, her own secret ingredient, and sugar until it was the right texture and started transferring the mixture into the miniature souffle dishes. Once the first dessert order came in, calling for a souffle, Kairi popped it into the oven and it was ready to go out within fifteen minutes.

Xion came back up about five minutes later. "Kairi! You're not gonna believe this, but everyone's going crazy for the souffles! Everyone's demanding for souffles! I hope you guys prepared enough!" She exclaimed with concern as she handed order tickets.

"Whoa…" Kairi flipped through the tickets, all of them ordering chocolate souffles.

The head chef came up and swiped the tickets from Kairi. "What the bloody-our souffles are never this popular!" He went into the fridge and pulled out an unbaked souffle, and took a small taste with a spoon. Kairi, Little Chef, and the other chefs all watched in anticipation as the head chef froze with the spoon in his mouth. He slowly pulled the spoon out from his mouth before his eyes travelled across the kitchen, making eye contact with the rest of the team.

"This is bloody delicious. Who made these souffles?"

The rest of the chefs exchanged confused looks with each other before Little Chef pulled on Kairi's hair and forced her to raise her hand. "Little Chef!" She groaned under her breath.

"You...made this...?" The head chef asked, stunned.

Xion burst through the door to the kitchen. "Sorry to interrupt guys, but a customer wants to speak to one of the chefs! She wants to see the chef responsible for the chocolate souffle!"

All eyes darted towards Kairi, who could only laugh nervously and brush hair behind her ears. The head chef nudged her towards Xion with Little Chef perched on top of her head. Xion opened the door, leading Kairi to the customer requesting her. Drops of sweat travelled down the side of her face as she stressed about why the customer wanted to speak with her? _It's about the souffles...so, maybe they liked them? No! Maybe they actually hated them and wanna chew me out for it!_ She fought inside of her head. _Whatever happened to just leaving reviews in newspapers and magazines? _

Kairi dragged her feet across the floor and came up to the customer's table. She didn't seem like the type of person to give straight up criticism based on her appearance. The young woman who looked to be no older than nineteen had scooped in her final bite of the chocolate souffle by the time Kairi made it to her table. As she noticed Kairi's presence, she grabbed her napkin and dabbed her lips before greeting her with a sweet smile.

"Uh...hi there! You wanted to speak to us?" Kairi greeted the customer.

She nodded. "Yes, I just wanted to give my personal compliments to the chef for the meal I had. Everything was just wonderful."

"Oh, thank you! But...I can't really take the credit." Kairi held out her hand and allowed Little Chef to hop off her head. "This little guy is the real chef. I just made the chocolate souffles."

"Oh? A rat for a chef?"

"Yeah, I know, it seems weird at first, but he's amazing!"

The customer shook her head. "Oh no, that's not weird at all. You see, I own a restaurant myself and we have a live jazz band that is led by an alligator."

Kairi's eyes widened. "An alligator? I'd love to see that! That sounds go cool!" She looked down at Little Chef. "Looks like there's someone else just like you out there."

"Well, if you're ever down in New Orleans and have an appetite, come on down to my restaurant for a nice bowl of gumbo, a side of beignets, and night of entertainment."

"Wow...that sounds awesome. I'm Kairi, what's your name?"

"My name is Tiana, sugar. Pleasure to meet you."

Kairi smiled widely. "Well Tiana, it sounds like you know you're way around the kitchen. I'd love to come by your restaurant and try some of your food."

"Well, it's your lucky day, darlin'." Tiana reached into her purse and pulled out a pamphlet to hand to Kairi. "I've actually traveled here to Twilight Town to open a new restaurant on the other side of town. We're still doing final touch ups, but you're more than welcome to stop by once we're open."

"I definitely will! Thanks a lot, Tiana."

Tiana's eyes caught the empty souffle dish, reminding her of someone else she had to compliment. "Now, I think you definitely deserve some credit for that delicious souffle."

Kairi laughed, flattered by the compliment. "Thanks! I'm definitely more skilled at baking than I am at cooking. I'm always baking desserts for my friends back at home, especially Sora and Riku. They can eat a whole one of my cakes in one sitting!"

"Sugar! That sounds like Louis, my gator, and my husband, Naveen." She shook her head. "I swear, I will make about five hundred beignets for the day and they'll be half gone because the boys would just keep eating them behind my back!"

"Sounds like a couple Christmases ago. I baked a whole bunch of cookies for the local orphanage, and Sora ate half of them while I wasn't looking!" Kairi laughed and shook her head. "What a sweet tooth lazy bum he is…"

Tiana straightened out her blue day dress before leaning on the table. "You're gonna have to bring this boy of yours down to my restaurant. He's gonna need to have a taste of my beignets."

"I'm sorry, but...what's a beignet? I've never had one before."

"It's like a donut, but it's closer to a danish without the filling, and you cover it in powdered sugar and then I glaze a little honey over them too."

"Wow...that sounds so good…" Kairi sighed happily.

"Kairi! Come on over! We have some friends here that you might wanna see." Xion called to her from across the dining room.

"Okay! I'm coming!" She turned back to Tiana after answering Xion. "Well, it was nice to meet you Tiana. I'll definitely stop by your restaurant when I get the chance to."

Tiana waved goodbye as Kairi excused herself from the table. Curious as to who these friends could be, she briskly walked towards Xion, her eyes widening at the sight of two guys and a girl around the same age sitting at the table Xion was serving beverages to. The black hair that stuck up and was being held by a sweatband as well as the dirty blonde hair that stuck straight up, the hair belonging to the two boys, was instantly recognizable and it only excited Kairi even more when she got close enough to see their faces.

"Hayner! Pence! Olette" She exclaimed, hopping up and down. Olette stood up allowing the girls to hug. "Oh my gosh, I've missed you guys!"

"We missed you too!" Olette said breaking the hug.

"Yeah, we were wondering when and if you were ever gonna come visit." Pence added in.

Hayner threw in a cocky smile and crossed his arms. "You know we can't _always _be the ones going to the beach."

Kairi sighed and shook her head in shame. "I know! I know! I love it here! It's such a beautiful town and everyone's so nice."

Pence scoffed. "Except for Hayner." He teased, earning a smack in the back of the head from his victim and making the girls laugh.

"What time are you done with work?" Olette asked.

"Hmmm…" Kairi took out her gummiphone and checked the time. "In an hour."

"You should come hang with us. You can bring everyone else too."

Xion thought for a moment. "Well, I know Axel is off now and Roxas isn't doing anything better. I'm good to hang out if Kairi is."

"What about the train?" Kairi asked, confused.

"The last train of the night leaves in 20 minutes. We won't make it."

Kairi sighed in disappointment. While she loved Twilight Town, she was really hoping to get going right away as soon as she and Xion got paid. "I guess we're staying one more night. So sure, why not?"

Pence's face grew concerned. "You don't have to rush out of her here, Kairi."

"Yeah. It's not like Twilight Town gives visitors a time limit or anything." Hayner jested.

Olette nodded in agreement. "Besides, we hardly get to see you, Kairi."

"True, you're right." Kairi sighed and shook her head, feeling guilty about wanting to leave so soon when it was obvious that Olette and the guys missed her. "I'm sorry. There's just been a lot going on within the last couple days and my head's all over the place."

"Hey! No need to feel sorry, we gotcha!" Pence assured her. "I know the perfect medicine for that!"

Kairi smiled, knowing exactly what Pence was referring to. "Well, in that case, Xion and I can meet you guys on the clock tower after work?"

"Got it!" Hayner agreed tapping his chest with his fist.

Kairi and Xion worked the last hour of their shift before being freed for the day. Scrooge visited the ladies at the end of their shift to pay them each 2000 munny for their hard work. Kairi was excited to have leftover munny after paying for her tickets. It had been a good long while since she had this much munny on hand. It almost scared her that somebody was going to pickpocket her. Then again, the average joe didn't necessarily carry a Keyblade on hand either, so she'd be ready to defend herself if needed. Before leaving, Kairi and Xion said goodbye to the staff, even earning a goodbye from the head chef. _Hmm, guess he's not such a jerk after all, who knew? _Kairi thought to herself as she followed Xion out of the restaurant.

Back up on the clock tower, all seven friends sat with their legs dangling off the edge. Their faces lit up as soon as Axel showed up with handfuls of seasalt ice cream bars, handing them out to each person. Well, almost everyone. Roxas didn't get one initially. After sending a pout towards Axel, the snarky redhead pulled an extra one out of his back pocket and handed it to him. There, now everyone was happy with their ice cream. For Kairi, this was exactly what she needed for her last night in Twilight Town.

"You know, it's been a while since all of us were up here together." Olette pointed out as she nibbled her ice cream.

Axel scoffed. "Well, we have _almost _everyone here, we're only missing-"

"Sorry I'm late." Isa cut off Axel as he walked behind everyone else and joined with Axel on the far end. "Had a pest control problem."

"Well, _now _we're all here together." Roxas said with a satisfying smile.

Eating ice cream on the clock tower and sitting smack dab in the middle of the group, Kairi began to realize that no matter how scary this upcoming journey seemed, there were always gonna be plenty of friends that had her back.

"Tomorrow, our journey officially begins." Xion said breathing deeply.

Kairi chuckled as she thought back to a letter she had written to Sora a little more than a year ago, back when she couldn't remember anything about him other than his mere existence. "Who knows? Starting a new journey may not be so hard." She took a bite of her ice cream and looked farther up into the sky. "Or maybe it's already begun."

Pence burst out laughing. "Get that off a fortune cookie?"

"Seriously, what is it with you and fortune cookies?" Hayner asked shoving him.

"I like Chinese food, what do you expect?"

Isa grinned darkly. "It fits, the more you look at him. He does look like a panda."

"I'll remember that when it's my turn to buy ice cream next!" Pence shot back.

Kairi laughed and playfully jabbed Pence with her elbow. "So, when is it your turn then?"

"Hmm...let's see…" He counted off on his fingers before sighing in defeat. "Ugh...I'm next…"

Everyone began laughing as they continued to pick on poor Pence. Kairi joined in the jabs as she began to point out the obvious color choice in his black and white outfit. Axel even found himself shocked that Kairi was capable of such teasing. In her defense, she never showed him her teasing side during their training since they were just starting to get close. Now that he saw Kairi as a sister, it was all fair game. Besides, when was the last time Kairi truly got to have a good laugh with a group of friends?

_**This was going to my toughest journey yet. I was no longer under Sora and Riku's wings while they took care of the toughest enemies. It was all on me and Xion. It did seem a little scary, but sitting on the clock tower with everyone reminded me that everyone was in my corner, and no matter where I went, I knew that I could always come back to Twilight Town, like it was a second home. **_

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

The next day had finally arrived for Kairi and Xion. They got up bright and early in the morning to make sure and get on one of the first trains. Axel and Roxas, bless the (not so) early birds, accompanied the girls down to the station and waited with them until they purchased their tickets and until the train arrived. While waiting for the train, Kairi called King Mickey on the gummiphone to let him know that she and Xion were headed out towards Yen Sid's tower and that it had something to do with Sora. Mickey seemed hesitant about going along with Kairi at first, but decided that it wouldn't hurt to try, so he agreed to have them meet him at the tower. The train was scheduled to leave at 9:15am and it arrived in the station on time.

"Well, you better hop on quick, the train's leaving soon." Axel said crossing his arms as the train whistle blew.

Kairi nodded. "Yeah, thanks for your help Axel, Roxas."

"We'll be back before you know it, you two." Xion assured them.

Axel scratched the back of his head. "Yeah...try not to get possessed this time around, okay?" He asked, earning a laugh from the other three. "Oh! By the way, take these with you." Axel dug into his baggy shirt pockets and pulled out two sea-salt ice cream bars. "It's a long train ride and you may get hungry."

"Aww, thanks." Kairi giggled as she took one of the bars. "You're sweet, Axel. Don't ever change."

"Nah!" He waved off with a laugh. Roxas, on the other hand, had been quiet the whole time since they arrived at the station. "Hey, short stuff!" Axel blurted while smacking him in the back of the head. "What is this? A museum? Say something already!"

Roxas snapped out of his lost thoughts as he scratched the back of his head. "Right, sorry." He locked eyes with Xion before looking at Kairi. "Good luck Kairi, send Sora my best wishes when you find him."

"I will. And...I'm sure he already knows you wish him the best too."

"Yeah, you're right." Roxas held his head low and put a hand to his heart. "I am with you." He muttered to himself. "We all are."

Xion looked at him with a concerned look on her face. "Roxas?"

"Oh! Xion!" He snapped up and caught Xion's hopeful gaze meeting his. A soft smile formed on his face as he stepped closer to her. "Kairi's in good hands."

"Take care of our home, okay?"

Roxas placed a hand on his hip as nodded with assurance. "I will. Be careful out there, okay? Don't forget to check in once in a while. We'll be waiting on the clock tower with ice cream when you return."

Axel, taking a hint at the energy being exerted from their conversation, turned away. "Uh...I'm probably gonna have...things to do…" He snickered while nudging Roxas from behind. "But Roxas here will be waiting for ya."

Both Roxas and Xion looked at Axel, blushes crawling on their faces. "Uh...sure. What he said." Roxas smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head. Kairi watched the very familiar-feeling scene play out in front of her and felt butterflies crawl through her stomach, all with a smile on her face.

"I'll be back, I promise." Xion said sincerely.

Roxas sighed before reaching to his neck and taking off his pendant. He took Xion's hand and placed it in her palm. "Promise…"

Xion curled her fingers and held the pendant tightly in her hand. She placed it against her heart and felt tears build up in her eyes. Roxas and Axel looked at her with concern in their eyes before she dashed forward and embraced Roxas. Stunned at her sudden behavior, Roxas watched Xion bury her face into his shoulder. She wasn't typically the type of girl to suddenly hug someone like that. His heart started feeling warm as his desire to return the embrace and hold her started grow. Roxas wrapped his arms around Xion and tightened the embrace, burying his face into the crook of her neck. Even he could feel tears building up in his eyes, but held them back.

Axel watched his two best friends hug it out and couldn't help but feel like his heart was starting to break. He never was one to show his emotions, but Xion saying goodbye to him and Roxas again after only a short time of being together started to hit him like a Keyblade to the face. It didn't take long for Axel to come in and join them in the hug. The trio held tightly onto each other as if there was an undeniable fear that they would be separated again. Even Kairi, who was watching this heartfelt goodbye from the sidelines, felt her heart growing heavy for them. It was almost as if she felt bad for taking one of their members and tearing them apart, yet it was all Xion's decision.

_**Watching Axel, Xion, and Roxas all hug together made me wonder, when were the three of us going to be together again? I was aware that things had changed between me, Sora, and Riku, but would anything ever be the same? Would we ever once sit on that same paopu tree and watch the sunset again? **_

The train whistle blew, signaling that it was time to leave. "Well, that's our cue. We better go now." Xion said breaking the hug.

"Y-yeah!" Kairi nodded in agreement, breaking her gaze. "See you guys later!" She waved before hopping onto the train.

Roxas and Axel watched Xion hop on the train. All eyes were kept on her as she turned around and sent one last wave their direction. Even after the door to the train had already slid shut, they continued to watch. Roxas even stepped forward, as if he needed to be closer to Xion, even if it was only by a few extra steps. He sighed heavily as he felt Axel place a hand on his shoulder. Being the older brother of the group, Axel nodded, as if he were telling Roxas that they had to let her go, but it didn't mean it was any less hard for him to let either of the girls go. All they could do was hope for a safe journey that Xion would be back home soon.


	6. Another Connection

Chapter 6: Another Connection

Just as Axel had predicted, the train ride was long and uneventful. Kairi and Xion were the only two on the train, so it wasn't like there people to make friends with. Between that and both girls sharing the same anxiety of starting this new journey on their own without their respective boys to back them up like before, the train ride was rather quiet.

_**It was there, on that exact train ride, that I realized just how brave Xion truly was. Here she was, barely having any life experience, and willingly dropping everything she has and loves to help save Sora. Her anxiety reminded me of how scared I was to leave the island at first when I was younger, but for Xion, it had to have been scarier for her. With that in mind, being around Xion also felt very...familiar.**_

"Kairi…" Xion spoke softly, earning the redhead's complete attention. "I'm sad…"

Kairi smiled weakly and moved across the aisle to take a seat closer to Xion. "Don't worry, we'll be back. Then, Axel and Roxas will be waiting for you."

"Yeah, you're right." She sighed and stared out the window. "I just can't help feeling that I may never see Twilight Town ever again."

"I understand that." Kairi said leaning back in her seat with her hands behind her head. "A couple years ago, before all of this happened, I was supposed to go sailing on a raft with Sora and Riku. I was a little afraid at first because there was something in me that was telling me that we may never be able to come back our island once we left." She paused and let a smile creep onto her face. "Thanks to some _really _entertaining banter between Sora and Riku, and some comforting words from both of them, I realized that it didn't matter where I go or what I see because as long as we were together, I was home."

Xion placed a hand over her heart. "I remember that…" She muttered under her breath so Kairi couldn't hear her.

"I feel that way even more now than I ever have. Ever since we lost Sora, it feels like Riku and I both lost a part of us. The island just doesn't feel like home anymore."

"Yeah…" Xion said with her head hanging low. "I'm just afraid of losing them again. Roxas and Axel, they give me all of the strength I need, each and every day."

Kairi looked over and watched Xion as she wrapped her arms around herself and brought her knees up to her chest. Usually, this would be the time when Axel would pop in and try to lighten up the moment for her. Kairi sighed as she sheepishly brushed hair behind her ear, wishing she was able to cheer her friend up the same way Axel could, but much like how nobody could replace Sora and Riku in her heart, nobody could replace Roxas and Axel in Xion's heart. However, that didn't stop her from trying, and if there was one thing Kairi had learned from Xion's boys while she was there, it was the _perfect medicine _to a sad face.

"Here!" Kairi pulled out the seasalt ice cream bars Axel had given them earlier and held one out to Xion.

"Huh?" Xion asked, thrown off by the sudden offer. "Ice cream? Really?"

"This journey will be tougher than anything we've faced in the past." She softened her voice. "This may be our last chance to enjoy ice cream together."

Xion studied Kairi's face before taking the ice cream. For some reason, this interaction felt very familiar to her. It almost made her feel...warm inside. Normally, Xion would just take an ice cream from someone when offered and just eat it. Yet, this time felt like there was a sense of heaviness behind it. It was almost as if part of her felt like this truly could be the last time she and Kairi bond together over something as silly as ice cream. Xion studied the ice cream bar, before a smile formed on her face from the growing warmth inside her heart.

"Kairi, I'll keep you safe." Xion declared, looking at her friend.

A small gasp escaped her lips, causing her to nearly drop her ice cream. She placed a hand over her mouth, as if she didn't mean to say what came out of her mouth. It was almost as if someone else was speaking from within her. Xion gripped her ice cream tightly, staring down at the ground. _What was that? _She thought to herself.

Kairi reacted the same way as Xion. In fact, for a split second, Kairi could've sworn she saw Sora sitting in Xion's place, making the same promise he made the day they exchanged the paopu fruit. Her heart fell into her stomach as a tear fell down her face and landed on her lap. She quickly brought her hand up to her heart and felt it pounding against her chest. He was still there. Sora was there with her, and she could feel it. Kairi smiled before pulling out the pieces of lucky charm and holding them in her hand.

"I'll find you…" She whispered. "I'm on my way, Sora."

A couple hours later, Kairi and Xion were greeted by the sight of a tall tower that was surrounded by a night sky of various shades of blue and millions of stars. It started to feel like it was only yesterday since Kairi had last visited Master Yen Sid's tower. She and Axel had just finished their Keyblade training and were meeting up with Sora, Riku, and the rest of the guardians of light to prepare for their battle against Xehanort. The train came to complete stop and opened its doors allowing Xion to step off the train with Kairi right behind her. Xion couldn't help but marvel at the tower that was just as tall as the clock tower in Twilight Town.

"So, this is Master Yen Sid's tower?" She asked.

"Yep, he guided Sora and Riku throughout their journeys. He should know something about this."

They walked up the steps and towards the tall doors to the tower. Kairi stood in front of the doors, not knowing if it would be considered rude to just walk in. Then again, she did call King Mickey back at Twilight Town to let him know they were coming. Surely the king let Yen Sid know, right? Still, her inner 'well-mannered girl' that her mayor parents raised her into kicked in and she knocked on the doors. After waiting for several minutes, Xion shook her head and stepped forward, pushing the large door open and seeing there was nobody on the other side. She looked up and saw the enormouse ascending staircase.

"Yeah, he was _definitely _gonna hear us knocking." Xion sarcastically said.

Kairi shrugged. "Sorry, I'm not used to just barging in like that."

"First rule of adventuring." She placed a hand on the redhead's shoulder. "When you're the hero of your story, you automatically have a warrant to barge into houses, towers, and palaces."

"Wow…" Kairi frowned as she followed Xion inside. "That makes us sound we're the bad guys if we're breaking and entering."

Xion laughed and shook her head as the girls began to travel up the staircase. "Nah, think of it as playing Good Cop-Bad Cop, as Axel would call it. You're nice-good cop-until they get on your wrong side, and then you immediately get aggressive with them-bad cop. How else do you think Axel survived Organization XIII? He's the definition of Good Cop-Bad Cop."

"Hmm…come to think of it, the way Sora used to describe his adventures to me after he came home with Riku, I see what you're saying now." She smirked playfully. "That actually sounds kinda fun now." Kairi cleared her throat as she dramatically straightened her body and crossed her arms, putting on a 'serious' face. "Mr. Villain, we can do this one of two ways. We can do this the _easy _way...or we can do the _hard _way." She dramatically said out loud.

"What are you doing?" Xion asked tilting an eyebrow.

"Psyching myself up! If this journey's gonna be anything like what Sora's been through, I'm gonna be dealing with some real baddies, and confronting Heartless is a lot different than confronting an actual terrible human being." She ran a hand up and down her arm. "Considering I've barely used my Keyblade in the last year and it hasn't been that long since I woke up, I'm not exactly the toughest piece of meat on the battlefield."

"Don't worry, girl! You'll toughen up, especially when those warrior instincts kick in."

Kairi smiled, laughing softly. "Thanks, Xion. You know, I can see why Sora always had Donald and Goofy with him. It helps having a friend or two to talk with." Her expression faded as she came to a stop on the steps. "Now that I think about it, I kinda feel bad for running out on Riku like that...I was pretty harsh back there."

"What happened?" Xion asked.

"We just…" She shook her head and continued up the staircase. "We got into this big fight the night I left, and I was really upset with him to the point that I just didn't care about making amends with him, and I was just so desperate to leave him and everyone else behind."

"It happens. I mean, look at me and Roxas, I almost tried to kill that bonehead last year."

Kairi's eyes widened. "I...think that'll be a story you can tell me when we're old enough to drink. We can switch 'death' stories then." 

Xion laughed at Kairi's suggestion. As the two of them ascended up the large staircase, passing multiple chambers, they found themselves making small talk and laughing. For both of them, it was crazy how fast they had bonded. While they got to know each other a little after everyone returned from the Keyblade Graveyard, they still weren't that close, and if anything, Kairi was actually closest to Axel out of the trio. Yet, here these girls were laughing and telling stories like they had been best friends since they were children. Kairi shook her head as she finished laughing at a joke Xion had heard from Demyx, one of the members of the Organization. Little did she know, she was really in for an unforgettable journey.

The two girls ascended the final section of the staircase and approached the door to Yen Sid's chamber. After a few courtesy knocks, Kairi let herself and Xion in. They came face to face with the tall sorcerer that sat straightened up in a tall chair that looked so comfortable that it made Kairi sympathize why he sat in it so much. His head that was covered by a tall blue hat with yellow stars bowed forward, greeting the girls.

"Master Yen Sid…" Kairi greeted as she bowed her head towards the sorcerer.

Yen Sid smiled and nodded. "It has been some time since our past rendezvous in the Keyblade Graveyard." 

"Yes, and you remember Xion, right?"

"That, I do. You were one of the many hearts Sora saved."

Xion nodded. "I was."

"Kairi, you contacted the king, and he brought to my attention that you would be traveling here for answers regarding Sora's fate."

Kairi nodded before scanning the chamber. "Wait, where is King Mickey?"

"When Mickey informed me of your reasoning for your visit, I sent him on an important errand, something that may prove very helpful on your quest." Yen Sid explained. "In the meantime, please share."

"Master, when I was back home on the island, I came across this." She pulled out the seashell piece. "This is a piece of a thalassa shell, a type of shell I used to make a lucky charm that I always gave to Sora whenever he'd leave for a dangerous journey. It was a symbol of a promise that he'd always return home safely." Kairi sighed heavily. "But, the charm was shattered when we were fighting one of Xehanort's seekers."

Xion stepped forward and held out her piece. "Kairi isn't the only one who found a piece. I found one in the old mansion at Twilight Town." She looked at Kairi. "If that wasn't enough, Kairi said that she could feel Sora's heart react to the pieces."

"Hmm, that does, indeed, raise a few questions." Yen Sid responded as he studied the seashell pieces. "A heart does not simply react to such a trinket unless there is some connection to it."

"That's what I thought." Kairi said looking down at her piece. "This can't be just a piece of an ordinary seashell. It has to be my lucky charm, especially if Xion found one too, in a world where thalassa shells aren't even found."

Yen Sid nodded. "Let us not forget that Sora does, in fact, have a connection to both you and Xion. While his connection to you, Kairi, is based on a strong bond, the intertwining of hearts, his connection to you, Xion, is based on memories that sprout from a strong bond."

Xion stared down at the ground. "His memories of Kairi…Even with me being my own person now, I still have those. When I found the piece, I remembered the day Kairi gave the lucky charm to Sora vividly, as if it were my own memory. It's almost like Kairi could feel his heart react while I felt his mind react."

"If his heart and mind are reacting, then that means he's got to be alive somewhere. I've been able to bring Sora back from the darkness before, so I should be able to do it again, right?" Kairi asked, stepping forward.

Yen Sid shut his eyes and stared towards the ground. Before he could say another word the door opened to reveal King Mickey, clad in red pants and a black plaid shirt, in the doorway. He marched in with a confident smile on his face.

"Your Majesty!" Kairi and Xion greeted in unison.

"Kairi! Xion! Perfect timing!" Mickey returned the greeting. He walked past them and back to Yen Sid. "Master, you asked me to retrieve this particular person, but you didn't tell me why."

Kairi and Xion exchanged confused looks with each other. Another person? Why was Mickey sent out to pick someone else up? Who was this person? It couldn't have been Riku. If it was, the king would've been upfront about who he retrieved and brought to the tower. The girls turned around and watched the doorway for this mysterious person. From around the corner, emerged somebody they weren't even close to expecting. She twiddled her fingers and smiled sheepishly as her long, blonde hair hung past her shoulders.

"Naminè?"

"Kairi, Xion, long time no see."

Mickey nodded. "Master Yen Sid said that bringing Naminè could be helpful to you guys."

Yen Sid nodded. "Yes. It appears that you, Naminè, have a similar connection to Sora. One that very much matches the strength of Kairi and Xion." He held his hand out, signaling Naminè to step closer to stand in line with the other girls. "Your connection to Sora is especially unique. You were not born like other Nobodies."

"How is that so?" Kairi asked. "When I lost my heart a couple years ago, isn't that how Nobodies are created?"

"Yes, you would be correct. However, in order for a Nobody to be created, the lost heart must become a Heartless, a creature of darkness." Yen Sid shook his head. "Your heart is of pure light, and a heart of pure light cannot become a Heartless."

Xion scratched her head. "That doesn't make any sense…"

"Welcome to my life." Kairi said rolling her eyes.

"Naminè, a Nobody born of Kairi's heart and Sora's body." Yen Sid declared as he studied Naminè's eyes. "You are connected to Sora by his soul. You are able to communicate with him on a level unlike any other."

Naminè nodded. "Is that why I was able to connect with Sora before? Even when we was hanging off the thread of death? And why he never truly forgot me?"

Yen Sid nodded and held out his arm, three symbols appearing in front of him, a heart, a spiral, and a flame. "For one to function, they must have these: a heart, a mind, and a soul. The heart is the lifeforce. It is what gives the mind and soul purpose. The mind is for endless knowledge, knowledge that can be recalled upon with one's memory, and builds up what becomes a person's soul. The soul is for emotion, and what will drive a person through life. It is the fire in one's soul that adds strength to the heart."

"They're all connected…" Kairi muttered as she looked at Xion and Naminè.

"It appears when Sora was in the most need, all three of you have played equal roles. With that in mind, you three must rely on each other if you are to successfully save Sora."

Naminè looked at Kairi funny. "But...what exactly did you have in mind, Kairi?"

"These." Kairi answered as she held out the two charm pieces.

"Wait! I found one of those too! I found it in the gardens!" Naminè reached into a pouch she was carrying and pulled out a third piece of the lucky charm, holding it out for the other girls to see.

Mickey gasped as the three girls held the pieces together and saw that they fit each other perfectly like pieces of a puzzle. "This can't just be a coincidence, can it?"

Kairi smiled widely as looked at all three pieces. "I don't think it is, Your Majesty." She placed a hand over her heart. "When Sora and I shared a paopu fruit, our hearts became intertwined, and this lucky charm was a symbol of a promise that no matter what, we'd always reunite if we got separated." Her expression grew serious as she held all three pieces in her hand. "I think this lucky charm has more power in it than even I imagined. It just might be the key we're looking for."

"I'm with you on that, Kairi." Xion placed a hand over her chest. "I'll fight for him just like he fought for me."

Naminè nodded with hesitation. "I want to help too, but what can I do?"

Yen Sid chuckled, grabbing all three girls' attentions. "It appears that you have a power that not even you were aware of. It is a power of great honor, courage, and heart. You inherited this power not by normal means, but by sharing a connection with a friend you are standing with this very moment, much like how another friend inherited his power by a connection with Sora."

"Roxas..." She softly gasped.

Yen Sid answered with a nod. "If you share the same connection with Kairi that Roxas shared with Sora, then there is no reason why you would not have this same power, the power to wield a _Keyblade_."

"Keyblade?" All three girls asked, shocked.

Naminè frowned. "This can't be right. I've never been able to summon a Keyblade before."

"Have you even tried?" Xion asked. Naminè shook her head.

"Give it a try!" Mickey encouraged holding his hand out.

"Okay…"

With all eyes on her, Naminè held out her hand similarly to how Riku did. She stood perfectly still, not even sure how to to really summon a Keyblade. After nothing happened at first, she looked back at Kairi and Xion, who all flicked their wrists forward as if hinting towards Naminè to flick her wrist. She stared ahead, focusing deeply into the fire that burned in her soul. If she truly was meant to wield a Keyblade, she would summon it this time with just the flick of a wrist.

Naminè shut her eyes, flicked her wrist, and immediately felt the extra weight in her hands as a blue and white Keyblade appeared in her grip. She opened her eyes and admired the hibiscus petals that topped the blade, as well as the angel wing that stuck out opposite of the petals, both pieces being joined by a star that represented a lucky charm Naminè had during her time in Castle Oblivion. It was all her. It was _her _Keyblade. She felt right holding it and could immediately feel the the desire to fight whatever threat popped up in front of her burning within her heart.

"Whoa!" Everyone gasped at the sight of Naminè holding her Keyblade, accurately named, Memory's Bliss.

Xion smiled with affirmation. "So it's true, then!"

"Naminè _can _wield a Keyblade!" Kairi exclaimed as her eyes studied the key.

"All this time…" Naminè muttered in awe. "There really was more to my power than even I was aware of." She gripped the handle of the blade tightly and gave it a swing before bringing it to her side. "Master Yen Sid, consider me ready."

Mickey's expression grew serious. "This will not be an easy task. Are you sure you're ready, Naminè?"

"Sora and I made a promise that we'd meet again, and he never stopped fighting for me, even after he found out our memories together were nothing but lies, so I will not stop fighting for him."

"Very well, then." Yen Sid nodded his head in approval. "I will leave you three tasked with traveling to various worlds in search of the missing pieces to this trinket." He looked over at Naminè and Xion with a smug smile. "With this in mind…" He held his hand up and two suitcases appeared on the table in front of them. "Naminè, and Xion, these new clothes will provide you the necessary security from the darkness when you traverse the various worlds." His eyes darted to Kairi. "I suppose your clothes will suit you fine, Kairi?"

Kairi smiled and nodded. "Yes. These will do just fine for me."

"Excellent. Yen Sid smiled and nodded. Kairi smiled widely and nodded in approval as Xion and Naminè both took their suitcases. "One more thing though. While success will not be guaranteed on your journey, I have no doubts, your accomplishments will not go unwarranted."

"We've got this, right girls?" Kairi asked exchanging confident looks with Xion and Naminè, both of them nodding in response. "Master, we're off! We won't let Sora or anyone else down!" She declared as all three girls stood straight.

Mickey stepped forward and joined the girls. "Master, with the return of the Heartless among us, this could mean big trouble for everyone! I will send out a distress call to all of our guardians! It's better to be ready for anything!" He suggested, earning a nod of approval from Yen Sid. "Okay, girls! We'll stop by Disney Castle and let you girls get any final preparations done before you set off!"

Kairi curled her hand into a fist and held it over her heart, exchanging one last stern expression with Yen Sid. She could've sworn she heard him mutter, "_May your heart be your guiding key." _She nodded before they departed into the extra room in Yen Sid's chamber

"I can't wait to try these on!" Xion exclaimed.

Naminè giggled as she set her suitcase down. "These will be much more comfortable than trying to fight in this dress." She commented holding the hem of her dress out. "Although, I think I may have to do something about this hair. It'll get in the way while we're fighting." She muttered as some of her hair smacked her in the mouth.

"You can always cut it! That's what I did to mine, and I haven't grown it out since!" Kairi suggested as she twisted strands of hair around her finger.

"Uh...that seems a _little _scary. If I cut it and don't like it, I'm stuck with it until it grows back. Hmm…" Naminè thought for a moment before she gasped softly, and idea popping into her head. She dug into her pouch and pulled out a red ribbon that had "Blissful Memories" written on it in gold. She pulled her long blonde hair into a ponytail and tied it with the red ribbon. "There we go! Much better!"

Xion, who had already begun changing behind a scrim, peaked out from behind. "That ribbon looks cute. Where'd you get it?"

"It was a gift that Riku gave me the first time he visited me in Radiant Garden. The day he left, he gave me the ribbon and said it would keep us together no matter how far apart we were."

"It's just like my lucky charm and how it always brought me and Sora back together whenever we were separated." Kairi said with a chuckle. "Or at least it _was _like my lucky charm."

Xion threw on her new army green crop top over her body before coming out from behind the scrim. "Hey, if your lucky charm brought you two back together once, who's to say it won't happen again?" She asked with a hand on her hip that a new pair of black shorts hung off of. Xion put on her gray short-sleeved hoodie and walked up to Kairi, placing a now fingerless gloved hand on her shoulder. "If Sora was able to save the amount of hearts he did, then there's no reason why we shouldn't be able to do the same for him, right Naminè?"

Naminè came from around the skrim dressed in her new outfit, a white dress similar to Kairi's, putting on her long, sleeveless blue hoodie. "Yep! Wow, I love this outfit! It's really comfortable and allows for really good flexible movement!" She kicked back her legs, now sporting dark grey boots, and tightened her matching fingerless gloves that stopped halfway towards her elbow.

"It suits you!" Kairi complimented as she admired the new outfit. "Now, if we're all ready, I think the king is really eager to take us to Disney Castle."

Xion stomped a black booted foot on the ground. "I'm ready! Let's do this girls!" She exclaimed, curling her hand into a fist.

"I'm curious about this surprise now." Naminè nodded in agreement.

The three girls stepped out of the room and descended down the long staircase and met with an eager Mickey right outside of the tower. He smiled widely at the proud-looking trio that stood right before him. In all his years as a Keyblade master and a king, he never saw more passion in the eyes of a group of amateur Keyblade wielders. If he was unsure about them before, all of his doubts were pushed to back of his mind, especially looking into Kairi's determined eyes.

"Okay, girls! Follow me!" Mickey summoned his Keyblade and held it in front of him, forming a bright portal that would transport them to Disney Castle.

**Author's Note: It's not a KH fanfic without Yen Sid's exposition monologue, right? XD So, if any of you guys are interested in seeing fanart I drew of Naminè and Xion in their new outfits, including Naminè's Keyblade, head over to my Tumblr and check it out!**


	7. Embarking on a Voyage

**Author's Note: Soooo, I totally just realized that I told ya'll about my Tumblr last chapter and then there was no link to it XD Anywho, if you guys are interested in seeing fanart for this fanfic, my Tumblr is on my profile and everything will be posted there!**

Chapter 7: Embarking on a Voyage

After traveling through a bright portal for several minutes, Kairi found herself in what appeared to be the largest throne room she had ever witnessed in a castle. She was used to how a typical throne room looked thanks to the books she read as a child, but none of those could prepare her for Disney Castle. Considering how-for lack of a better term-short Mickey was, it did seem like overkill to have a castle as large as it was. However, that didn't stop the impressed redhead from taking in her surroundings and embracing just how different this world was from Twilight Town and Destiny Islands with its tall white walls and red banners with King Mickey's emblem front and center. It had been some time since her last visit and she was ecstatic to visit again.

Kairi gasped as she followed Mickey through a small purple door that was only a part of a pair of large purple doors. "It's so good to be back!"

"We were all hoping you'd visit again after you woke up, Kairi!" Mickey chuckled.

Naminé took a look around, noticing the brooms marching in formation and carrying large buckets. "But, where is everyone?"

"Well if I know my guys as well as I think I do, then Donald I'm sure is cleaning his boat and Goofy is probably sleeping on the job. They've needed the rest after their long search across the different worlds." The king placed a hand under his chin and thought for a moment. "Gosh, that probably isn't good. He's supposed to be training a new recruit!"

"Since when does Donald have a boat, though?" Kairi asked.

Mickey laughed and rubbed the back of his head. "That Donald has been waiting for such a long time to finally have his own boat, and now, since things have been a lot calmer around with the defeat of Xehanort, he's been able to finally accomplish that goal. But...with the Heartless returning, I'll need my men to be on guard. Hopefully Terra, Aqua, and Ven will return from the Realm of Darkness soon with some good news. Otherwise, we may have a bigger mess than any of us were expecting."

With Kairi and Mickey chatting at the front, Xion trailed behind them with Naminé. They had started travelling down the hall that would lead them to the beautiful castle gardens that were flourished with bright green grass and freshly trimmed topiaries. While she should've been taking in her surroundings like Kairi was, Xion instead had become distracted with the Gummiphones that were included with their new outfits. It felt unreal to have her own since her only experience with the device was playing around with Axel's every now and then. Naminé was just as distracted too.

"Naminé, look at this! This Gummiphone has everything!" Xion marveled as she scrolled through the different apps. "It even takes pictures!" She held up the phone and rotated it around, taking random photos of the castle. "Oooh, is that a lucky emblem? There's so many of them! Almost..._too _many…"

Naminé smiled widely and nodded. "I know! And apparently you can take photos of what's in front of you and yourself!" She held the phone in front of her and took a selfie, showing off her new hairstyle and red ribbon. "I should send this to Riku! He'll love that I'm wearing his ribbon."

Kairi chuckled and shook her head. "Come on you two crazy kids! The sooner we find the lucky charm pieces and save Sora, the sooner you two can get back to all of your shenanigans."

Xion crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow. "Aww come on, Kairi! We've got a long journey ahead of us! Might as well entertain ourselves before we start hitting the battlefield."

"Wait..." Naminé froze in her tracks. She jogged over and linked arms with Kairi, pulling her closer to her and Xion. "We need to take a photo together!"

"Uh..Naminé, now's not really the ti-"

"Oh come on, Kairi! It'll take two seconds! It's our first day adventuring together!" Xion rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around both girls.

Kairi sighed in defeat. "Okay fine, you got me!"

The three girls got close together and posed while Xion held the phone in front of them. "Cheese!" She pressed the button on the phone to take the photo only for Kairi to sneeze right in the middle of it.

"Whoops, sorry." Xion apologized as she looked at the phone that had Kairi in the middle of sneezing. "Oh my gosh! We gotta keep this one!"

"No! Delete that one! I look awful!"

Naminé giggled as she admired the photo. "But it shows character! I like it!"

Kairi rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Easy for you two to say. You both look great. I look like a 'sneezeburger'."

"It's really not that bad. We'll let Sora decide how he likes it after we find him." Xion teased.

"No! No! Xion, give me the phone!" Kairi dove forward to try and grab the phone only for Xion to back away and hold it out of her reach. "Come on, Xion!" She hopped up trying to get it.

"Grab her Naminé!"

Naminé reached forward and grabbed Kairi by the arms, the extra weight causing both of them to fall forward and drag Xion right down with them. Within seconds, Mickey turned back and saw the three girls wrestling each other for Xion's phone like children. He cleared his throat, grabbing their attention and eliciting guilty smiles. One by one, each of them hurried off the ground and brushed the dirt off their clothes. Mickey sighed and shook his head before waving them over to continue following him to the gardens. _They haven't even left yet and they already remind me of Sora, Donald, and Goofy, _he thought to himself.

Down in the gardens, Kairi noticed a familiar figure, clad in armor, sleeping peacefully. The loud snores and the mumbling immediately gave away that it was none other than Goofy. Towering above the snoozing captain of the guards was another figure that bared a striking resemblance, but was someone that neither Kairi, Naminé, nor Xion had ever met before.

"Come on, Dad! Get up, already!" He pleaded.

Mickey sighed and shook his head as he hurried over towards a sleeping Goofy. "Sleeping on the job again, huh?"

"Why is my dad the captain again?"

"Come on, Goofy! You need to wake up!" 

Goofy mumbled as he sat back up and rubbed his eyes. "Heya there, Your Majesty! Heya Maxie!"

Max rolled his eyes. "It's _Max_, remember?" His eyes nearly popped out at the presence of Kairi, Naminé, and Xion. They especially focused on Kairi. "Whoa! Who are they?"

"Hey! Would you lookie there! It's Kairi!" Goofy hopped onto his feet and ran towards Kairi, giving her a big old hug.

"H-Hey, Goofy!" Kairi laughed nervously as she struggled to talk through his tight hug.

"Donald! Guess who's here?"

Donald sighed heavily and came out from around the shrub. "This better be go-Kairi! You're here!" He ran forward and joined in the group hug with Goofy and Kairi.

"Donald! You're looking great too!" She laughed happily as she enjoyed the love Sora's two main guys were showing her. "I see you're working very hard on that shrub there…"

"You bet!" The proud duck showed off his work. "This garden needed something exciting!"

Naminé placed a hand under her chin. "I thought the garden looked pretty lively already."

"Hey!" Donald pouted. Everyone laughed at his childish pout, causing him to notice Naminé off to the side. "Goofy! It's Naminé!" He leapt forward and hugged the blonde.

"Donald?" She asked, thrown off by his sudden affection.

"Naminé! We missed ya!" Goofy also joined in the hug. He hugged Donald and Naminé tight before releasing his grip. "Those new clothes look great on ya!"

Naminé giggled sheepishly. "Thank you, Goofy." She turned to Xion and nudged her forward. "You two remember Xion, right?"

"Of course!" Donald exclaimed as he took her hand.

"Good to see ya again, Xion!" Goofy patted her on the back.

Xion laughed and put her hands on her hips. "Good to see you again, boys!"

Kairi smiled at the reunions happening before her very eyes. "Oh?" She noticed the son of Goofy as he extended a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey there, name's Max."

"Uh...hi?"

"You know, I...uh...I kinda have a thing for redheads and...uh...I gotta say, yours is...probably the prettiest I've ever seen!" Max stuttered as he scratched the back of his head.

Kairi giggled shyly while blushing. "Oh, thank you!"

"So hey, if you're not doing-"

Goofy chuckled and wrapped his arm around Max, interrupting him. "Sorry Maxie, Kairi here belongs to our dear friend, Sora."

Max sighed and rolled his eyes. "Of course she does…"

"So, what's going on, Your Majesty?" Donald asked.

Mickey's expression grew serious. "Fellas, we might have found a clue that could lead us to Sora." He declared, earning some astonished gasps from Donald and Goofy. "But that's not all. The Heartless have returned. I don't know who's behind it this time, but I have no choice but to assume it might be someone we know."

"Xehanort?" Xion asked, concerned.

"Not Xehanort, but someone who had a connection to him. Donald, Goofy, I need you boys on guard at all times to protect the castle and its people from any infiltrations the Heartless may cause. I'm gonna go look further into this while Kairi, Naminé, and Xion focus on finding Sora. If you need further backup, we have Axel and Roxas, as well as Terra, Aqua, and Ven."

"Wait, what about Riku?" Kairi asked.

Mickey nodded. "Him too, but he'll most likely end up going with me. Unless you would prefer he goes with you and the girls and I can either go alone or ask Roxas or Axel until the others return?"

"No, it's okay." She said in a low tone. Riku hadn't tried to call her or talk to her since she left the island. Was he really that upset with her? Especially since he likely already knew by now that she was gone.

"Everything alright, Kairi?" The king asked.

"Yeah...I'm fine."

Mickey smiled and chuckled. "Don't you worry, Riku will be just fine!" He walked over to a topiary that looked like a castle and opened the "doors" of the castle that happened to be actual doors. "Follow me! We're almost there!"

The doors opened to what appeared to be a secret tunnel. A long staircase travelled in a spiral and was only illuminated by small lights. It kept Kairi curious as to what Mickey had in store for the two of them. Considering how hidden this staircase was, it had to be something big and secretive. It wasn't too long until they had reached the bottom floor and reached two large doors that didn't have a handle to open them with. Mickey placed his hand on what looked to be a security scanner screen before allowing his body to get scanned from above and his voice to tested. The girls couldn't help but be baffled by the amount of security the king himself was going through.

After the security checks, the doors opened up to what appeared to be a large terminal full of various doohickies and gadgets. While the gadgets were rather interesting, the real show was the purple gummi ship that was stationed on the ground level of what appeared to be a large garage.

"Girls, this ship, The Falcon, is for you to take!" Mickey presented the ship from the launch deck.

"Whoa!" All three of them gasped.

Xion laughed as she marveled at the ship. "This is amazing!"

"The colors are perfect!" Naminé complimented.

"Just wait 'til you see what this baby can do!" A muscular duck entered the launch deck from the garage.

Mickey smiled widely. "You, Chip, and Dale all did great work, I'm sure!" He complimented. "This is Kairi, Naminé, and Xion, your pilots!" He walked over and stood by the duck. "Girls, this is Launchpad McQuack, the newest head engineer!"

"The pleasure is all mine, ladies! I'm here for all of your gummi ship needs!" Launchpad charismatically declared. "I've been flying these babies for years! Chip and Dale are putting some finishing touches on the ship's navigation system, but if you'd like to come on board, I'd love to show you what we've put together!"

Kairi smiled and nodded, bouncing in place. "That'd be so cool!"

Launchpad led everybody down to the garage where there we numerous engineers working on different ship parts. One was tweaking an engine while another was refueling a laser. Kairi had remembered the ship that Sora flew with Donald and Goofy when they rescued her from Hollow Bastion a couple years back, but she never got the chance to really take a close look at the ship itself, nor had a chance to fly it. In fact, she somehow remembered being passed out for a good chunk of the flight back to Traverse Town considering how overwhelming everything was for her between her heart being restored, getting chased down by Heartless, and then restoring Sora back to his own self.

Kairi followed Launchpad up the loading ramp and into the cockpit. She gasped at the spacious cockpit that had multiple dashboards, buttons, switches, and three comfortable-looking seats towards the control panel.

"Take it all in, as you please!" Launchpad presented the inside of the ship.

"Oh...my...gosh!" Kairi gazed, getting more excited by the second. "I've always wanted to fly! And now I have my own ship!" She squealed as she sat in the pilot's seat and looked at the various buttons and switches.

Xion cleared her throat. "Don't you mean _our _ship?"

"Yeah sure, that's what I meant." The distracted redhead answered as if she completely tuned out Xion's question.

Naminé leaned over and whispered to Xion. "Something tells me we're not getting a turn at flying the ship."

Launchpad chuckled and placed a hand on Kairi's back. "You gotta all the ship has to offer!" He pushed one blue button and a stereo popped out playing J-pop, causing all three girls to lightly bop their heads. "We've got Bandora here for all your background music needs!" Pressing another button released a flatscreen TV from above. "All-you-can watch Jetflix and your Gummiphone can project onto this TV while you play those games!" Launchpad took the remote and turned on the TV. "There's a new program on there, Game of...Bones, I think that's what it's called? But that's not all!" He set the remote down and pressed another button causing a snack and coffee station pop up. "This button gives you all-you-can-eat refreshments and a cappuccino maker!"

"Wow...I'm not gonna wanna leave this ship!" Xion laughed as she sat in one of the seats.

Naminé bit down on her lip and slid her arms behind her back. "Uh...any chance there's a ladies' room on here?"

Launchpad nodded and pressed a button, causing a trap door to pop up towards the back of the ship. "Down in the lower deck!"

"Thank you, I think I might go _test it out_." She excused herself and stepped on the trap door that took her down.

Kairi smiled widely as she ran her hand over the pilot dashboard. "This is so great! Thank you so much, Launchpad!" She rested her hand on the steering control. "Wow...I'm gonna finally get to fly! I never thought it would actually happen. Living on a small island, there really aren't any planes or ships. We use boats. I love sailing, but there's something about flying high in the sky! It feels right, you know?" She let out a small giggle. "It's kinda like Sora's passion with sailing. He's always wanted to have his own ship and go sailing and explore the high seas. I remember how excited he was when we built that raft a couple years ago. I can only imagine how over the moon he'd be if he had a real ship."

"Okay Launchpad, I think it's all finished!" A squeaky voice called out from within the dashboard.

Just as Naminé returned back into the cockpit from the lower deck, two small chipmunks scurried out and stood on top of the dashboard. They hopped up and down, getting the duck's attention. The girls all smiled sweetly at how cute the two little chipmunks looked in their engineer aprons. Maybe they should visit Disney Castle more often?

"Chip! Dale! The scanner's ready?" Launchpad asked.

Chip nodded his head. "It took a little playing around!"

"But we finally fixed it up!" Dale added.

"Perfect!" He pressed a yellow button and a device that looked somewhat like a scale with a radar attached to it popped from the dashboard. "The king mentioned that you girls are looking for pieces to a lucky charm, right?" Kairi nodded in response. "Well, the chippers and I thought maybe we'd throw together this bad boy!" Launchpad reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of fluorite and placed it on the scale. "This is the latest in high-tech tracking technology! All you do, is place a common item on this plate here." After placing the material on the plate, the girls watched carefully as what appeared to be a digital blue grid scanned the material, causing red dots to appear on a black radar screen with large green shapes, representing neighboring worlds. "Once this item has been scanned, radio-frequency technology is sent far out and can trace what worlds this item can be found in!"

Xion gasped. "Whoa! That's so cool! This makes my computer hacking skills look amateur."

"This should make it a lot easier to find the charm pieces!" Naminé curled her hand into a fist and confidently nodded.

"You're right!" Kairi said before reaching into her pouch and pulling out one of the pieces. "Here, let's try it out!" She placed the charm piece on the plate after Launchpad removed the fluorite. Kairi anxiously awaited for the results of her shattered lucky charm, only to be disappointed by the fact that the device didn't even scan it. "How is this possible? It just worked!

Launchpad placed a hand under his long beak as he examined the device. "That's weird. I know it was having some bugs earlier this morning when we first finished it, but Chip and Dale assured me that they fixed it. Not to mention, why would it scan the fluorite, but not the seashell?"

"Wait, I have an idea. Let me test something out." Naminé suggested as she stepped forward. She took out a single munny and placed it on the plate. They got no results. "It didn't scan the single munny either. So, it's definitely not the shell itself." She reached in and scooped multiple munny out before placing them on the plate. Suddenly, the scanner picked up the munny and what appeared to be hundreds of red dots popped up on the screen. "It's just as I thought! Kairi, it's not the seashell. The piece is too small for the scanner to pick up on it."

Kairi studied the munny on the plate before reaching for her pouch again. "If that's the case, then let me try this then." She pulled out a full thalassa shell and held it out in her hand.

"You brought a full shell with you?" Xion asked.

"Kind of. My friend Selphie gave it to me when I left the island. It's supposed to bring good luck and assure a safe journey." She smiled down at the shell before her eyes darted to the radar. "I wonder if _maybe _this is the luck it's bringing us." Kairi removed the munny and placed the thalassa shell onto the plate. Feeling as if time had slowed down, she watched the device to see if it would pick up the shell. Finally, the scanner picked up the shell and on the radar, there appeared to be about ten red dots. "It worked! These must be the worlds that the pieces ended up in!"

"Sweet!" Naminé exclaimed.

"This will make the hunt MUCH less tedious!" Xion agreed.

Chip hopped back onto the dashboard. "There's also one more thing we have for you!"

"Yep! Launchpad, do you have it?" Dale asked.

Launchpad thought for a moment. "Hmm, oh yeah! That's right! Kairi, hold out your wrist!" He reached into his jacket pocket. "We've been working on a new device that includes the same technology as your Gummiphone."

Dale hopped up and down in place. "We thought you'd like to test it out for us, Kairi!"

"If this works, it could change the whole experience for Keyblade wielders!" Chip added in while also hopping.

Kairi intriguely watched as Launchpad pulled out what looked to be a watch that looked similarly to her Gummiphone and wrapped it around her wrist. Naminé and Xion gathered around as all three of them marveled that the tiny screen that popped up in the middle of the watch. Kairi was used to seeing locals on Destiny Islands wear watches, but she had never seen anything like this The screen literally looked like a tiny version of her Gummiphone screen. Curious, she tapped the screen and scrolled through the various apps that were on the screen.

"Wow, this is literally like a tiny Gummiphone!" Kairi exclaimed.

"You betcha!" Chip scurried off the dashboard and climbed onto her shoulder. "You have to see what this Gummiwatch can do! It tells time, tracks the weather, has a map, a compass-"

"But it also can be used as a flashlight, send and receive messages, has a calendar, and a fitness tracker!" Dale added in as he hopped onto Kairi's shoulder.

"Wow, this thing already has potential!" She smiled widely, holding her wrist out.

"And that's not even all!" Launchpad proclaimed. "In battle, these puppies can scan your enemies give you information regarding them including weak points and elemental magic they may be weak to. Also, if you have a friend who offers their strength in battle, you can scan that friend, and all of their data will be loaded onto the watch. Then, all you gotta do is press on their icon, and they'll jump right in to help!" He sighed happily as watched Kairi marvel over the watch. "If this test goes well, we'll be giving these to ALL Keyblade wielders, and there's a tracker within the watch, so if anybody needs a fellow Keywielder's help, they can just call one for help or seek a nearby one out!"

Xion raised her hand. "I want one of these after this thing passes the test!"

"This is great. Thanks you guys, you've all been a great help." Kairi sincerely thanked Launchpad and the chipmunks. She turned to Xion and Naminé. "Well, shall we get our final preparations underway?"

Naminé nodded before placing a hand to her growling stomach. "Do final preparations include food? I'm pretty hungry."

Everyone shared a laugh before transporting themselves off the ship and back to the launch deck where King Mickey was waiting. Much like Naminé, Mickey and Xion both had an appetite and felt it was the perfect time to eat before the start of the journey.

Kairi, on the other hand, chose to pass on dinner. Her stomach had started bothering her after returning to the castle from the gummi garage. She stayed outside and admired the view this particular balcony had over the gardens. The sound of running water from the garden fountains was music to her ears. It didn't matter where she was, the sound of water running, crashing, or even currents, was enough to calm down whatever nerves she had circulating throughout her bloodstream.

"Kairi!" Donald's voice echoed from down the hall as he walked towards her with Goofy right behind him. "What are you doing out here?"

"Yup! Dinner will be ready soon!" Goofy chuckled while rubbing his stomach.

"Thanks guys, but you go ahead without me. I don't have much of an appetite." Kairi said as she continued to stare up into the star-filled sky.

Goofy rested a hand on Kairi's back. "Are you okay?" He asked, his eyes filled with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine." She sighed as she folded her hands together, twiddling her fingers. "I guess, it just feels overwhelming, you know? The last few days talking about going out to find Sora was all talk and now it's really here. I have a Keyblade, a supporting team, and a gummi ship. There's no more waiting around. This is real."

"Aww, I betcha you'll do just fine!"

Donald nodded. "You bet! I remember Sora was VERY nervous when he first joined us."

"He was? Sora? As in, my Sora? As in, the Sora who has sacrificed his life twice for me? He was nervous?"

"Of course! It's a big journey, but as long as you have your friends, it will all be okay!"

Kairi shook her head. "How can you be so sure, Donald? I'm...not strong enough. Not like you guys. I tried the best I could back in the Keyblade Graveyard and I let you all down."

Goofy's eyebrows lowered. "Hey there! That's our friend you're saying mean things about!" He placed both hands on her shoulders and affectionately shook her. "Besides, ahyuck! You're just like Sora!"

"How? I'm nowhere near as strong or experienced as he is."

"Kairi, it's not the size of your strength," Donald said as he curled his hand into a fist and placed it over his chest. "It's the strength in your heart!"

Kairi lightly gasped as she could feel strong throbbing in her heart. "My heart…" She muttered, placing a hand over her own beating heart. "Sora…"

"See? You have a big heart just like Sora!"

Goofy nodded in agreement. "Sora always followed his heart and was able to find you every time, right?" He asked, Kairi nodding in reply. "So, if he could do it, then I know you'll be able to save him too!"

"Thank you, Donald, Goofy." She thanked them with a sweet smile on her face.

"Now, you have to promise that you'll keep that smile on your face!" Donald said as he pointed to Kairi's face.

"Yup! Keep smiling and laughing! That'll getcha through the hard times!" Goofy encouraged.

Kairi giggled softly before reaching out and pulling both Donald and Goofy into a group hug. Even if they were never really close like Sora was to them, she knew that they cared about her just as much as he did and were on her side completely. She held them close as they laughed and joined the embrace. It was a bittersweet sight, seeing two of Sora's best companions encouraging Kairi. They all knew deep in their hearts that she wouldn't let them down and before they knew it, Sora would be back just as he once was.

Later that night, after replenishing their energy with some of Disney Castle's amazing food, Kairi and the girls opted to get going right away. Kairi, especially was ready to go. She felt like she had delayed this journey enough and was ready. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy all followed the new trio of Keyblade wielders out to the launch deck to see them off.

"Well, I guess we're off now." Kairi said to the Mickey, Donald, and Goofy.

Mickey nodded before extending a hand. "Kairi, good luck. I know you're gonna do great!"

"Yep! We'll have Sora back before we know it!" Goofy chuckled.

Donald lowered his eyes in a teasing manner. "Yeah, but he'll be busy kissing Kairi to notice us."

Kairi's face flushed pink as she tried to hide it in her hands, eliciting laughter from everyone on the launch deck. "GUYS!"

"We'll keep in touch." Xion said.

Naminé stepped forward and held her Gummiphone out. "Call us if you need any help."

"Right back at ya!" Mickey said with a nod.

Goofy placed a hand over his chest. "And remember, may your heart be your guiding key!"

Kairi nodded, extending her hand to join it with King Mickey's. They exchanged one final affirmative nod before the girls stepped on their teleportation pods. Donald and Goofy waved towards Kairi, who returned it with a smile, followed by a lone tear that fell down her face. She softly gasped and placed her hand over her heart before wiping the tear. _What was that about? _Kairi thought to herself. Concerned looks spread over everyone's faces as they watched her dry her lone tear. Rather than fuss about it, Kairi waved it off and pressed the button on the console that activated the teleportation pods and sent them into Falcon.

_**It was crazy. When Donald and Goofy were waving goodbye to me, I had that same warm feeling within that I had when I first found the piece of my lucky charm. It was at that moment that I knew it was you. Your heart was reacting, and I could feel everything you were feeling. I had no more doubts. I knew that I could save you somehow, and I wasn't planning on stopping until you were safe.**_

Once inside the ship, they each took a seat with Kairi in the pilot seat. Lucky for her, she had learned a lot in her previous years about flying planes and ships in the books she's read on aviation and astronomy, so she was able to get used to the bells and whistles of flying a gummi ship rather quickly. Chip and Dale opened up the garage, giving Kairi the clear that she could take off. After pressing a couple buttons, and taking hold of the controls, she pressed the big green boost button to give them a blasting start.

To say that takeoff was an adrenaline rush was an understatement. The g-forces were insane and it was a good thing everyone was buckled up. Even Kairi was having trouble hanging onto the control at first because it felt like she was being forced right up against her seat the whole time. Once the ship had broken through the world's surface and was in deep space, the g-forces let loose and brought the ship down to a steady speed. What a relief, it was. Xion thought she was going to be sick from the g-forces and Naminé's head was starting to feel funny. It was a good thing they still had several hours left until they reached their first destination that their radar was leading them to. It allowed all three of the girls to play around with their ship's features and relax a little bit.

"Wow, what a great ship!" Xion sighed as she stretched out in her seat. "The boys really delivered!"

Kairi laughed and nodded. "Yeah they did!" Her hands brushed over all the different buttons. "This ship has everything! That reminds me!" She pressed the blue button causing the cappuccino maker to pop up on Xion's side and started making a coffee drink for the girls.

"Nice! Guess I'll have no excuse to be lazy in the mornings now like I was back home."

"Now, if only I can get one of these back home." Kairi turned in her seat and looked over towards Naminé, who was sitting quietly in her seat staring down at her Keyblade. "Naminé, you okay?"

Naminé snapped out of her deep thought. "Y-yeah. It's just that...this seems so sudden and out of nowhere, being able to wield a Keyblade."

"Tell me about it." Kairi sighed as she stood up and grabbed her cappuccino. "I remember back when Riku handed me my Keyblade and then I was thrown into the heat of battle immediately." She smiled and walked over, resting her hand on Naminé's back. "I'm sure you'll be great though, and we'll work with you on EVERYTHING."

Xion nodded. "We'll show you the basics, teach you magic, defense, soon enough, you'll be a powerful Keyblade wielder like the rest of us."

"But, you had training." Naminé said looking towards Kairi. "You trained with Axel for so long it seems."

"Yeah...I did…"

"Maybe I should go back to Radiant Garden and train with Merlin. Is it really a good idea to go with you guys on this journey if I barely know how to use a Keyblade?"

Kairi shook her head. "No. Trust me." She kept her eyes on the ground as she sat back down in the pilot's seat. "I thought my training would help me get stronger, but if anything...I realized that nothing can prepare you more for the heat of battle than the real thing."

"Kairi's right, Naminé." Xion nodded, her expression serious. "No amount of virtual reality and dummies can prepare you for the real threat."

Naminé frowned. "You're both making it sound like I'm going to be killed as soon as I step off this ship."

Xion shook her head. "Don't worry. You'll be fine."

_Yeah...you're fine until you become responsible for losing the one who matters the most to you..._Kairi thought as she stared out the cockpit towards the stars.

"Thanks, Xion, Kairi." Naminé smiled and nodded. "You're right. As long as the three of us are together, everything will be fine, right Kairi?"

"Yeah."

"Hey, we need a team name!" Xion pointed out.

"What?" Kairi and Naminé both asked.

"You know, when we start kicking butt and taking names, we need a name to live by!"

Naminé placed a hand under her chin. "How about Paopu Princesses?"

"I don't know, Naminé. I don't think people would be able to take either of us seriously if we were to refer to ourselves as a 'Paopu Princess'." Xion said rolling her eyes and crossing her arms. She thought for a moment. "We could be...the Kingdom Keepers!" Xion pumped a fist up. "We are committed to keeping the kingdom safe!"

"But Xion...we're not necessarily trying to protect Kingdom Hearts here. We're going out to look for Sora." Naminé said crossing her arms. "What do you think, Kairi?"

Kairi leaned back in her seat and stared up to the top of the cockpit. "Honestly, I was never really good with names. Sora and Riku were the ones who fought over naming our raft, and I just went along with it." She began to think back to that day when the three of them had decided that day to build a raft and go on an adventure, back when times were simpler. Oh, how things have changed. Kairi even remembered back to when she started making her lucky charm out of thalassa shells and then gave it to Sora. "An oath…"

"Hm?"

"Sorry, I'm just thinking out loud. I was thinking about that day a couple years ago when I gave Sora my lucky charm for the first time, before he went to defeat Ansem. He's always protected it, just like he promised." She paused and looked out the cockpit into the stars that she could've sworn formed a paopu fruit. "Not a promise...an oath. An oath that became stronger when we shared a paopu fruit the night before the battle against Xehanort. We took an oath to keep each other safe, an eternal oath." Kairi stood up and smiled, curling her hand into a fist. "And I don't care what it takes, I will keep that oath, and bring Sora back." She paused as she placed a hand over her heart. "Oathkeeper...that's our name, ladies. We are keepers of an eternal oath, The Oathkeepers."

Naminé and Xion looked at each other and nodded, smiling. "Kairi's right." Naminé said.

"Okay! That's out name then!" Xion held out her hand. "Xion!"

"Naminé!"

"Kairi!"

"We are The Oathkeepers!" All three of them declared in unison.

Xion giggled. "With Kairi as our Queen Oathkeeper!"

"Oh! I wouldn't say a queen!" Kairi denied with a nervous laugh. "I'm barely a princess."

Naminé smiled proudly. "Well, then you'll be known as our Princess Oathkeeper."

"Thank you, Naminé, Xion.

Xion nodded before curling her hand into a fist. "Now, where's our first destination?"

Kairi sat back in her seat and checked out the radar. The ship was quickly approaching a new world. One that looked quite familiar all three of the girls. "I think we're approaching a world, you guys!" She summoned her Keyblade and held it sticking out towards the galaxy. "May my heart be my guiding key." A beam of light shot from the tip of the blade and opened up a portal large enough for the gummi ship to travel through. "Alright!" Kairi turned and looked back at Naminé and Xion, smiling widely. "Ladies! Buckle up! Because…" She flicked multiple switches, and grabbed hold of the control analog before getting ready to push a large green button. "Because we're blasting off!"

"Here we go again…" Xion sighed, hanging onto her seat tightly.

The Falcon took off on another rocket boost to pierce through the surface of this new world they were approaching. This would only be the first of many worlds that Kairi, Naminé, and Xion would traverse in what would become a life-changing journey, for all of them.


	8. The Wedding Crashers

**A/N: SORRY FOR LEAVING YOU GUYS HANGING! I was originally planning to finish all of the for this world before starting to publish them, but considering how long these chapters are turning out to be and how long it's taking me to write these out, I decided to publish this first one. I'll push these bad boys out as fast as I can, but I also really wanna do these worlds justice! So, I thank ya'll in advance for your patience!**

Chapter 8: The Wedding Crashers

Far off in the Arabian desert, lies Agrabah, a city of mystery, enchantment, and a thousand tales of knights, thieves, and magic. Of all the tales passed down from generation to generation, the greatest and most legendary, was the tale of a lamp. It was no ordinary lamp, it changed the course of a young man's life. This young man was more than what he seemed, a diamond in the rough. It was the story of Aladdin, a poor boy from the streets, and Jasmine, a beautiful princess, two very different people, brought together by one incredible wish. It was this incredible wish that opened their eyes to a whole new world beyond their wildest-

"CUT!"

Uh...what?

"Okay, okay, seriously Anima, why are we recapping this?"

Genie?

"The one and only (not Will Smith) Genie!"

Well Genie, you've arrived right on cue!

"You're absolutely right, I have! Seriously, why are we recapping this again?"

Uh...I'm just catching the audience up to where Aladdin's story is at this point. You know, stuff you usually do at the beginning of a sequel.

"Girl, this is a fanfiction! Anybody who's reading this has already seen at least the first movie and played through Kingdom Hearts 1, 2, and (hopefully) 3!" Genie cleared his throat. "Seriously audience, if you haven't played Kingdom Hearts 3 yet, then you just got seriously spoiled in that first chapter there."

Can't help it, Genie! We haven't visited Agrabah since Kingdom Hearts 2 and this is the first Disney world the heroines are visiting.

"Kingdom Hearts 2? What about RE: Chain of Memories? 358/2 Days? RE: Coded?"

Uh...those don't...really count, or rather, they do, but they're not numbered sequels, and one of those games is a remake of a midquel, one of them is a midquel, and the other is a midquel that takes place between the ending and epilogue of-

Genie groaned. "Okay! Okay! Let's forget the convoluted mess that a middle aged Japanese man wrote as he went." He wiped his brow. "Let's talk about the important question here: heroines? What happened to Sora, Donald, and Goofy?"

Uh...well...Donald and Goofy are fine. As for Sora...I kinda can't tell you where he is.

"And just why not?"

For multiple reasons. First of all, if I tell you now, it's gonna spoil the whole fanfic and make the whole story meaningless, which would not be good because the main character of this story is the only one in the entire cast that has not had a story arc. Second of all, the fans are...still a little sensitive over what happened to him in Kingdom Hearts 3. Third of all, if I tell you now, then this world is gonna be missing half of its plot, thus making this world feel irrelevant to the whole overarching plot, and then all the readers are gonna leave bad reviews saying that we could've skipped this world, AND considering that this world didn't come back for Kingdom Hearts 3 (even though it should've), you wouldn't want to be the only Disney world that has bad reviews, would you?

"Of course not! How could anyone leave a bad review when Genie's in the house?"

Well...there's the live action remake coming and…

"Yeah, we don't speak of THAT Genie here…"

Anyway, can we PLEASE get on with the world?

"Hello? Anybody in there? That's what I've been trying to do! So far, this prologue is even longer than the Kingdom Hearts 2 prologue with that blonde Sora kid Not to mention, you left the readers hanging and in suspension for over a week!" Genie looked at the time on his watch. "If we're gonna start this world, we gotta start it NOW or else we're gonna be late for the wedding!"

Wait, Aladdin and Jasmine's wedding is TODAY? I thought it was next week! Hmm...well, I picked an awkward day to have Kairi and the girls start their adventures in Agrabah. In that case, Genie, I need you to be as quick as possible and give these readers a recap and intro to the world.

Genie proudly laughed. "Now THAT I can do!"

He could've just done that instead of arguing with me…

"Okay! Recap in 3! 2! 1! Aladdin and Jasmine met and fell in love. Al met me, the Genie, and wished to be a prince so he could marry the girl, but the evil Jafar tried to tear them apart and use me to become the sultan! But lo and behold, Al defeated him, set me free, and lived happily ever after with Jasmine. PYSCH! Jafar returned for revenge, but his henchman, Iago, betrayed him, Al defeated him again, for good, and then all was good in Agrabah! And now we are here on the day of Al and Jasmine's wedding and nothing can go wrong now!"

Genie...what about Sora, Donald, and Goofy? 

"Oh yeah, they were there too! Sora helped defeat Jafar sealed the keyhole in Kingdom Hearts 1 and Sora helped defeat Jafar and unsealed the keyhole in Kingdom Hearts 2! Phew! Recap done! Now, if you'll excuse me, there's a party here in Agrabah happening without me, and I've gotta let the caterer know! I'll see you readers later!"

Well, you heard him, readers. There's a party here in Agrabah, so let's check in and see where our heroines are at this moment.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

The afternoon sun shone high in the sky, beating down on the heads of Kairi, Namine, and Xion as they first arrived through the gates to the city of Agrabah. The street vendors were all closed, but that didn't mean the city's marketplace wasn't happening. The city streets were hustling and bustling, commotion echoing between the various locals that were all traveling the same direction, towards the palace. Kairi took a look around, gazing in awe at the all of the different brightly colored outfits along with elephants and camels that carried some of the wealthier folks. It was such a different world compared to what she had already seen on Destiny Islands and Twilight Town. The palace was especially a piece of architecture worth marveling over. It was huge, according to Kairi's excited reaction.

However, the excitement didn't last too long, for there was one thing that felt familiar to Kairi, but very unfamiliar to Xion and Namine, the heat. While it took a little bit before the heat started to take a toll on Kairi, the other girls were feeling it almost instantly and were slugging behind trying not to melt and become part of the ground. After dragging their feet throughout the marketplace, a miracle happened in the form of a shaded spot. Kairi rested her sweaty body against the wall in the shade as well as Xion and Namine, all three of them breathing heavily, pleading for any sense of coolness in the air.

"It's hot…" Kairi breathed out.

Xion groaned. "You're telling us!" She wiped the sweat from her brow with her arm. "At least the color of your hair doesn't absorb heat…"

"I thought you were supposed to be from an island and used to this heat." Namine pointed out.

"I am, but at least we were surrounded by water! I'm gonna be crispy bacon by the time we leave this place!" She peeked around the corner of the arch that was providing their shade. "This place is happening today." A young woman dressed in a beautiful purple outfit casually passed the girls. "Um...excuse me? Is there anything going on here? The city seems awfully busy today."

The woman smiled widely. "You must not be from around here, then! Agrabah's princess has finally found a suitor and is getting married today! Such an occasion!" She exclaimed before she carried on her way.

"Hmm, a wedding. Sounds fun." Xion said leaning against the wall with her hands in her pockets.

Namine folded her hands together and smiled sweetly. "A royal wedding? That sounds so beautiful!" She began stepping towards the palace, looking back at her fellow ladies that remained under the shade. "Why don't we try and attend? Out of respect for the princess?"

"Namine, as much as I understand your reasoning, we should just keep going and try and search for the lucky charm piece. We have a lot of ground to cover." Kairi said shaking her head.

Xion nodded in agreement. "Kairi's right. This isn't a vacation."

All three girls watched a group of gossiping girls pass them. "Can't believe of all people, Princess Jasmine would marry a street rat! I thought the girl had better standards than that!" One girl vented to the others in her group, their gossip trailing off along with them.

"Wait!" Kairi called out as she shut her eyes and thought for a moment. "Princess Jasmine...I know that name!" She gasped and smiled widely, jogging to Namine. "I remember a Princess Jasmine! She's a fellow Princess of Heart!"

"So, that gives us all the more reason to go!" Namine exclaimed, earning a nod of agreement from Kairi. Both girls looked at an astonished and confused Xion. "You coming, Xion? You're gonna be stuck out here in the heat if you don't."

"What happened to us 'having a lot of ground to cover'?" She asked bitterly.

"Come on, we can hold off for a couple hours." Kairi said waving her hand over. "As a princess myself, it would be wrong for me to skip out on her wedding."

With Kairi and Namine, leading the way, Xion begrudgingly followed them, but not without a roll of the eyes. While it wasn't so much going to the wedding that bothered her, Xion was more or less used to sticking to her mission whenever she was on one thanks to her year of doing missions with Roxas and Axel in Organization XIII. Thus, steering off course out of the blue was not something she was the biggest fan of. Yet, the idea of being indoors and out of the heat sounded amazing to her.

As the girls approached the wedding pavilion over at the palace, there was a very tall, very built guard that, according some greeting guests, went by the name of Razoul. He stood tall and proud, arms crossed and a holding a scroll in one of his bulky hands. While he looked tough, Kairi didn't think too much of him.

"Name?" Razoul asked as Kairi and the girls approached him.

"Uh, we have Kairi, Namine, and Xion. I don't think these two are on the list, so I'm bringing her as my 'plus one'." Kairi answered as she wrapped an arm around Namine.

Namine then wrapped an arm around Xion. "And I'm bringing her as _my _plus one!"

Razoul scrolled through the list of guest names before sternly shaking his head. "Sorry! Your name is not on the list and _only _those on the list can enter the pavilion!"

"Wait, what? Are you sure?" Kairi asked, her heart skipping beats. "I'm a Princess of Heart just like Jasmine. I should be on the list by association."

"I don't care if you're Prince Achmed's sister! If you're not on the list, you're not getting in!"

Namine exchanged a mischievous smile with her fellow ladies before stepping forward. "But sir, we're not from around here…" She pleaded in a desperate voice. "We're so shriveled up by the heat and this one here, she's only got a couple weeks left to live!"

Xion nodded, playing along. "It's true…" She let out a couple loud coughs. "My only wish...is to see the woman I look up to...get married and live happily ever after…"

"Come on, Razoul." Kairi smiled sheepishly and leaned against the guard. "Have a heart!"

Razoul thought for a moment, before putting a sympathetic smile. "You're right, ladies. I should have a heart, and I will…" He cited before suddenly picking up Kairi by the back of her dress and holding her up. "I'll have the heart to throw _you_ and your little friends out!"

Using his other arm, Razoul picked up Xion and Namine. He carried them both out of the palace gates and threw them out, having them land over by a clothier's shop. Kairi and the girls slowly sat back up, groaning in pain from the impact of their bodies hitting the hard ground.

Kairi growled, her teeth gritting. "It is NOT polite to pick up women like that!"

"How rude…" Namine grumbled as she dusted dirt off her dress.

"Well, now what?" Xion asked as she stood back up, her voice in a bitter tone. "I know I was the one who suggested we keep going, but considering we just trekked five miles in 120 degree heat all the way here, I'd rather us not quit."

"We're gonna have to find a different way in then." Kairi hopelessly sighed.

Namine placed a hand under her chin. "If feminine charm doesn't work like I thought it would, then what can we do?"

Out of the corners of their eyes, all three girls caught sight of a vendor that appeared to have a few harem outfits in various colors on display. Xion and Namine smiled mischievously as the same horrible idea popped into both heads. They looked to Kairi for approval, only for her to shake her head. There was no way she was dressing up as a harem girl to get into the wedding, more or less _steal_ clothing. She wasn't that desperate to get into the wedding, was she?

Too late, Kairi was roped into their scheme. She sighed hopelessly as she looked at the new pink top and pants she donned around her slim body with her face only being partially obscured by chiffon fabric.

"Well, at least the outfits are cute." Namine giggled as brushed her hands against her blue outfit.

Kairi shook her head, shutting her eyes. "This is so morally wrong. I've never stolen anything before in my life! I'm so going to the abyss if I die on this journey now..." 

Xion rolled her eyes before shielding her face with her green 'mask' that matched the rest of her outfit. "Poor Kairi has to be a _bad girl_ for one day." She teased.

"I don't know guys…" Kairi said with concern in her voice. "I mean, I want to get into this wedding, but is it worth going through all this trouble?"

"Might as well. We're already dressed in the disguises." Namine answered shrugging her shoulders.

"Alright then. Namine, Xion, just follow behind me while I do the 'talking'."

Earning affirmative nods from the other girls, Kairi led them in their new disguises back up to the palace. Strangely enough, Razoul didn't seem to question them at all. He just took one look at them, smiled slyly, and let them in. _Wait, did he just let a few harem girls in without asking them if they're on the list? Ugh...typical guy, _she thought.

Guests continued to flood into the pavilion, single file. It seemed as if each party had brought something of value to present as a gift to the couple. Feeling a twinge of guilt from showing up to the wedding without a gift, Kairi reached into her pouch and pulled out a handful of munny to place into a goblet that was sat upright in the pile. Xion and Namine followed suit with their own munny. Although it was rather offputting for the girls to see a bird taking the gifts from guests as opposed to an actual usher. Keeping themselves as blended in as possible, Kairi, Namine, and Xion kept themselves rather quiet.

"Ugh...I hate this outfit, it's so revealing...but on the other hand...it's giving me ideas…" Kairi muttered.

Namine shot an awkward look to Kairi, as if she didn't want to hear that. "Eh…"

"Kairi! TMI!" Xion scolded her.

"Right, shutting up now!"

Xion couldn't help but snicker, adding onto this 'talk'. "Although Namine, you're lucky Riku isn't here or else we'd be getting _nothing _done."

"Oh! Stop it, Xion!" She cried out, her face flushing red.

Kairi crossed her arms and shot a mischievous look towards Xion. "I wouldn't be talking Xion, I saw you and Roxas cuddling the last night before we left Twilight Town."

"I thought that bonehead shut the door all the way…"

"Ooooh! 'Ey check 'em out!" One guard wolf whistled at the girls, to which they just rolled their eyes at.

Another guard stared down Namine. "I got my eyes on the one in blue. She's a blonde."

"As long as I can have the one in pink tonight. The redheads always go for me…" A third guard held up his muscles and flexed them.

Kairi felt her blood boil with the way they were being stared at. Even the most perverted guys she's dealt with on Destiny Islands had more class and weren't as ruthless as the guards were acting. Namine was especially getting uncomfortable with the comments considering that thanks to her being with Riku, no guys would ever think twice about trying to mess with her unless they wanted to face the wrath that was his protective side.

"Who do these guys think they are?" Namine whispered.

Xion pushed Namine and Kairi forward. "Just ignore them." She whispered.

"What about the one in green?"

The guard scoffed. "No way, that one barely has a butt."

Xion froze in her tracks. Feeling her blood spike up to a boil, she whirled around and summoned her Keyblade. "What was that about _my butt_?" She yelled, stepping forward. "In about five seconds, I'm gonna shove this thing right up your-" 

"Xion!" Kairi and Namine groaned as they came to the realization that now their cover was blown.

"Uh oh…"

The small group of guards drew their swords and began proceeding towards the girls with threatening looks on their faces. Not wanting to fight them off, Kairi allowed herself and the team to be backed up towards the wall.

"Kairi? Did you have a backup plan?" Namine asked as the guards continued to back them in towards the wall.

Kairi bit down on her lip as she thought for a split second. "Uh...of course I did!" Within a split second, she used her Keyblade to change back into her normal clothes and took off sprinting down the hall. "Run!"

Xion and Namine looked at each other before switching their clothes themselves and running after their friend. The guards immediately gave chase after them, finding themselves quite impressed with how well the girls were avoiding them. They were bumping into wedding guests despite doing their best not to. Xion found herself hopping off of shorter guests to get farther ahead and Namine slid underneath some of the guests that wore long dresses. Impressions aside, the guards stuck to their guns and split up, attempting to cut the girls off as they attempted to go around a corner.

"Girls? Why are we running like cowards and not using our Keyblades?" Namine asked shooting a confused look towards the girls.

"Because they're not bad guys, they're guards! They're just doing their job!" Kairi answered, short of breath.

Xion tilted an eyebrow as she thought back to one particular guard. "I'm pretty sure one of them was looking at your butt too."

Without much thinking, Kairi froze in her tracks and whirled around, summoning her Keyblade. "Okay, _now _they're officially bad guys!" Namine and Xion also summoned their Keyblades as the guards appeared from multiple corners and surrounded them. "Sorry guys, but this butt is reserved for _one _set of eyes and they're _definitely _not yours!" Namine and Xion exchanged teasing looks with each other and laughed at her comment. "I wouldn't be talking, Namine!" Kairi countered with a wink.

Namine's cheeks flushed pink. "Okay, point taken!"

"Alright Oathkeepers, these guys wanna fight? Then let's fight!"

The trio split up and began attempting to fight off the guards. While neither of them wanted to go too far and actually kill the guards, they still wanted to give them enough of a beating that they'd get off their tail. Kairi blocked the attack of one of the guards and knocked him back before using her Keyblade to trip him at his feet and knock him off his feet and onto his back. She looked back and blocked another oncoming attack before Xion leapt in and knocked the guard back. Namine struggled against a guard that knocked her off her feet and was ready to grab her until Kairi slid in and tripped him. She took Namine by the hand and helped her up as another guard behind them attempted to attack only for the attack to be blocked by Xion.

As inexperienced as these ladies were, save for Xion, who only had the experience thanks to her time in Organization XIII, they seemed to instinctively catch onto prioritizing covering each other's backs as opposed to actually attacking the enemy, which was especially helpful since this was Namine's first time fighting with her Keyblade and, for lack of better terms, didn't know fully what she was doing. Kairi attempted to knock back a guard that charged after them only for the trio to find themselves surrounded.

"Ugh...these guys won't quit…" Namine commented while panting.

Xion stood her ground, sending death glares towards the guards. "They're guards for a reason."

"Great…" Kairi cursed under breath. _Come on, Kairi! Think! Think! What would Sora do in this situation?_

Just as the guards seemed ready to strike the girls with their swords and have them arrested, a (sort of) miracle occurred. The earth started to shake. Or rather, it felt like the earth started to shake. Everyone, including the guards felt like they were losing their footing thanks to the violent shaking of the ground.

"What's going on?" Kairi asked, her voice raising an octave.

"Earthquake?" Namine asked as she was knocked onto her feet.

Xion struggled to retain her balance. "Funny, I remember Axel once saying the earth wasn't supposed to move until the honeymoon…"

Kairi gasped at the trumpeting sound of elephants. "No! Worse! A stampede!" She cried out as she regained her footing.

"It's an ambush!" One of the guards exclaimed.

Razoul rushed in and joined the rest of the guards. "Forget the girls! All men to the pavilion at once!" He ordered as they all jogged towards the next room.

"Huh, we got off pretty easy." Xion said scratching her head.

Namine shook her head. "I think it might be too soon to say that."

"Namine's right." Kairi agreed as she stepped ahead. "Whatever's going on can be really dangerous. We'd better go check it out before anyone gets hurt."

Following the echoing sounds of locals screaming and elephant trumpets, Kairi led Namine and Xion down the walkway and towards the pavilion. The closer they got, the more people they saw running past them in the opposite direction. By the time they had reached the pavilion, various pillars and pieces of the surrounding walls were already destroyed thanks to not only a couple of stampeding elephants, but a number of Heartless that had appeared and were harassing innocent people.

Kairi looked ahead and noticed couple of Bandit Heartless that were close by attacking a woman. She instinctively jogged ahead and swung her Keyblade hard, blocking off what appeared to be a barrel roll attack from the Bandit. While knocking it back, Xion dashed in and finished it off with a vertical slash, jab, and a side swing. She high-fived Kairi before they turned their attention over to Namine, who was doing her best to fight off a Bandit by herself, and kept getting knocked back. She stubbornly got back up and in a flash of a second, thought back to how Sora had fought in Castle Oblivion. Recalling one of his battle styles, Namine held out Memory's Bliss.

"FIRE!" She called out.

A ball of fire about the size of a pineapple shot out and exploded on impact with the Bandit. While it didn't kill it instantly, it knocked it back enough for Kairi to leap in and stab it through its core, the Heartless disintegrating and releasing the heart that was once held captive by it.

Xion crossed her arms. "That'll take care of 'em!"

"That's not all, you two! Look!" Namine yelled as she pointed to a rather large group of men, specifically a group of forty, dashing and leaping into the pavilion, weapons ready. "These Heartless aren't alone!"

"Oh boy…" Kairi muttered. She gritted her teeth and gripped her Keyblade tightly. "Well...staring at them won't get rid of them any quicker! Let's go!"

With her Keyblade ready, Kairi charged towards the thieves, unaware that they fought on a whole new level than the Heartless had. She swung her Keyblade towards one only for her attack to be immediately blocked by their sword and knocked back. Kairi immediately bounced back and decided to try casting some magic she may have remembered from her training.

"STREAM!" She called out as water pulses swirled her before firing at the thief. While it didn't hurt him as much, it was enough for Kairi to lunge forward and knock his weapon out of his hand before performing a slide dash that sent him flying up and cashing down onto the ground. "How are you doing Namine?"

Namine swung hard at another nearby Heartless, this time, a Soldier. "I...think I'm doing…" She tried to answer as she blocked a Bandit's attack. "Okay!" She charged forward, hitting the Heartless with a few swings before finishing it off with a Blizzard attack, an icy crystal firing and freezing the Heartless. Xion dashed towards the frozen Heartless and spun like a vortex, causing the Heartless to shatter into pieces. "Thanks, Xion!" She spun around and finished the weakened Soldier with a hard thrust into its core. "Okay! I think I'm starting to get the hang of it!"

Kairi smiled and nodded. "Good!" The sound of three identical-looking thieves dashing towards them grabbed the attentions of the girls. "Hmm, these guys don't look too bad! Ready girls?"

"Ready!" Xion and Namine both readied their Keyblades.

With the right timing, the three thieves were knocked back across the room by synced powerful swings from the Oathkeepers. They shared a proud moment of finally being able to take down some of the thieves, but the moment was cut short by Kairi catching sight of somebody familiar that was cornered by two Fat Body and one Flame Body Heartless. Judging by the long white dress and the matching veil, she recognized that it was the bride, Princess Jasmine herself.

"Let's go! It's Jasmine!" Kairi called back to her team.

As Jasmine found herself backed completely into the wall, Kairi charged forward and managed to slide her way between the defenseless princess and the wall of large bodied Heartless.

"What?" Jasmine asked as she noticed Kairi in a battle stance next to her.

"Sorry to crash your wedding, Jasmine! But we're here to help!"

"Wait...Kairi?" The astonished princess did double take.

Kairi smiled confidently and nodded. "We'll talk and catch up later. For now, we have a wedding to save!"

"And we'll help too!" Xion said as she and Namine joined Kairi and Jasmine against the mob of Heartless.

"Okay girls! Charge!" Kairi yelled as they split amongst the Heartless.

One of the Fat Body Heartless slid on its stomach and went charging towards Kairi. She managed to not only block the attack, causing some knockback to the Heartless, but she was able to counter and knock it back with a powerful swing. She sprinted forward and swung her Keyblade at it three times in a row before finishing it off with a fire spell. The unpleasant sound of Xion grunting from getting slugged by the other Fat Body drew her attention to the other side of the corner they were fighting in. She watched as Xion fell to her knees, holding her head.

"Come on Xion!" Kairi encouraged as she ran over and helped her comrade up off the ground.

Xion shook the pain off before resuming her fight. She decided she wanted to try something. Channeling all of her energy into her Keyblade, Xion whirled around and smashed her blade into the Heartless, stunning it. Kairi came in and thrust her blade into the Heartless' back, finishing it off. Both of them exchanged satisfying nods before they looked over to the Flame Body that was being fought off by both Jasmine, who was throwing a punch or a kick whenever she could, and Namine. While they were both doing pretty okay on their own, Xion and Kairi decided to jump in and help, hoping they could expedite the finishing blow. Xion performed Stun Impact once again, giving Namine the opportunity to freeze the Flame Body, and allowing Kairi to spin around and finish off the Heartless. They stopped and took a moment to breathe.

"Thank you for your help, Kairi." Jasmine thanked her.

"No worries! But...what's up with that mob of men that were here earlier?"

"They are The Forty Thieves, a dangerous band of men that are here to rob us and our guests blind."

"Forty?" Namine asked, counting off the thieves. "I only counted thirty-nine."

Kairi caught sight of a young man fighting with an older-looking thief who donned a blue cape and mask. "Forty…" She muttered to herself.

"Aladdin!" Jasmine cried out as Kairi ran towards him.

"Don't worry! I'll go help him out. You get to safety, Jasmine. Xion and Namine can handle any Heartless that get in your way."

Earning a nod of approval from Jasmine, Kairi sprinted over to the entry of the pavilion where the gifts were located while Xion and Namine handled the rest of the remaining Heartless. She thought she should've expected there to be at least one in the gifts room, considering how valuable they were. However, it looked like Aladdin and this one thief were fighting over a particular item. It looked like a rod with a bright green orb at the end. Kairi could care less about the rod, she was more worried of this thief hurting Aladdin if he was as strong as the rest of the thieves were. She jogged forward and snuck behind the thief, nailing his blue cape to the ground.

"Go! I've got him!" Kairi yelled.

Aladdin asked with a confused look on his face. "Who're you?"

"I'll explain later!"

The thief sighed and shook his head. "As the King of Thieves, I have never been one to hurt a young lady, but you leave me no choice!" He whirled around and tripped Kairi, knocking her onto the ground and causing her to lose her grip on her Keyblade that fell right by the thief. "What…? Is that…?" He took hold of Kairi's Keyblade and held it out. "Yes…"

"Hey! Knock it off!" Aladdin lunged forward and tackled the king to the ground.

Kairi hopped off the ground and held her hand out, retrieving her Keyblade back to her hand effortlessly and leaving the king astonished at what he witnessed. She swung her Keyblade hard and knocked him backwards. He immediately hopped back up and was ready to begin attacking Aladdin and Kairi until an elephant came stampeding through the treasure room. Both of them rolled out of the elephant's way, but the king managed to use the giant creature as means of escape. For even right outside of the wedding pavilion, this mysterious thief was nowhere to be found.

"Where's the King of Thieves?" Aladdin asked looking out towards the palace gates.

"He's getting away!" Kairi answered as she ran past him. Xion and Namine caught up with her shortly after. "Girls, let's go after him! Aladdin, you go catch up with Jasmine!"

Aladdin, still unsure of what was going on with Kairi's presence, hesitated, but eventually nodded in agreement. Kairi led her team through the gardens, eventually splitting up and hoping that one of them would be able to catch the thief. Of all times for the guards to have been present, this would've been the time. Kairi checked over by the fountains, Xion checked by the topiaries, and Namine checked right outside the palace gates. Whoever this thief was, they couldn't track him down.

"Ugh...he got away…" Kairi groaned.

Xion shook her head. "This is Organization XIII level of dirty…"

"No kidding. He tried to steal my Keyblade."

"It's a good thing that's impossible to do." Namine heaved a sigh of relief. She looked back at the damaged wedding pavilion. "Should we head back to the pavilion? We should at least check in with Aladdin and Jasmine and make sure they're okay."

"Good idea, Namine. Let's go, Kairi. There's no point in trying to track him down."

"Right, let's get back to everyone." She sighed in defeat, disappointed that the thieves had all gotten away.

Kairi turned and began following Xion and Namine back towards the pavilion only to stop in her tracks as she felt a certain presence behind her. Letting her defensive instincts take over, Kairi spun around and saw a figure in familiar-looking Organization XIII coat. Her heart sank into her stomach as unpleasant memories of the seekers of darkness in the Keyblade Graveyard flashed through her mind. How was it possible for one of them to still be alive and walking? Sora and the other guardians of light had defeated Xehanort and all thirteen seekers. At least, that's what Kairi believed at the time.

Summoning her Keyblade, Kairi began chasing the hooded figure as they turned and disappeared around a corner. Xion and Namine attempted to call out and get the redhead's attention, only for them to be blocked out. Ignoring her friends, Kairi continued to jog, even as far as outside the palace gates. The fact that this figure was wearing an Organization XIII coat kept her desperate to know who this person was. She tried to narrow down the possibilities. Was it Xehanort's younger self? He did have the ability to time travel. What about Ansem, the Seeker of Darkness? Or Xemnas? They both had found ways to somehow come back despite having already been defeated once before.

The thought of Xemnas possibly returning once again sent uncomfortable shivers down Kairi's spine. Her last memory of Xemnas was him grabbing her in an already painful manner and her struggling against him only caused more pain, thus leaving her defenseless. Needless to say, if this hooded figure that she was running after did turn out to be Xemnas, Kairi was prepared to serve him ice cold revenge. Then again, with how powerful he was, why would Xemnas just retreat the way this figure was? Turning around a corner in the marketplace, the figure found themselves at a dead end and shifted back and forth on their feet, almost as if they were attempting to figure where to run to.

As Kairi caught up to them, the turned back around and held an arm up defensively. She gasped softly as she saw that the figure was only standing idly and not trying to attack like the members in the past. What was this figure's deal? Why was it stalking Kairi and why did it attempt to retreat as soon as she caught onto its presence? Kairi wanted to know. She was in no state to handle anymore mysteries or unanswered questions. A dark portal managed to appear behind the figure and they took a step back towards it.

"Hey! Stop!" Kairi yelled at the figure as they stepped back, disappearing into the dark portal. She attempted to dash towards them with the expectation of either getting some answers or, taking cues from the last time she dealt with hooded figures, fighting them. The dark portal managed to disintegrate before Kairi had a chance to reach the figure. Confused by what she just saw, she couldn't help but space out, staring at the wall that created a dead end ahead. "Who...was that?"

Xion frowned, gritting her teeth. "That coat was definitely an Organization XIII coat."

"I don't see how any of us could've mistaken that." Namine said shaking her head. "But wait, I thought Organization XIII was defeated a year ago."

"That's what _I _thought too." Kairi said while folding her arms.

"As far as I can remember, every seeker clashed with us in order to forge the x-blade, and each one of them was defeated." Xion placed a hand under her chin. "Either this person has no affiliation with the Organization and they somehow got a hold of one of their coats, or…" She softly gasped. "Maybe I'm just wrong and there's at least one seeker that survived."

Kairi sighed with her head held low. "Great…"

"Hey, we don't know that for sure, right?" Namine asked as she placed a hand on Kairi's back. "Maybe it's a misunderstanding. I mean, they haven't done us any harm, right?"

"No...but they know our location. They could be planning something." Kairi turned and began walking in the opposite direction towards the palace. "We need to stay on guard."

Xion and Namine walked briskly past Kairi, hoping to go check in and make sure everybody was safe at the pavilion. As much as she wanted to hurry back as well, Kairi couldn't help but look back once more. To her, it just seemed so strange for somebody in an Organization XIII coat to appear out of the blue, and in her location, of all places. She had turned back in the hopes of catching sight of the figure once more, but there was nobody left. Kairi responded to Xion calling her name, and she jogged forward, catching up with the girls.


	9. Infiltrating the Hideout

**A/N: Finally done with this chapter! This was the longest chapter I've ever written for a fanfic and you guys seem to like these longer chapters, so here ya go! Also guys, I'm legit curious about how these fight sequences are turning out because I am not the best at writing good-paced fight sequences, so please if you can, let me know how these are working for you and/or if they need improvement.**

Chapter 9: Infiltrating the Hideout

Upon returning to the wedding pavilion, Kairi couldn't help but marvel at how much damage was done. Chunks of the walls were missing, pillars were knocked over, and parts of the roof had caved in. All of the guests that were attending the wedding had escaped and so far, it seemed like nobody was hurt. It didn't make the place look any less disastrous. Namine took a look around, but jumped back when a chunk of a pillar fell off and nearly crushed her. Xion accidentally inhaled some dust and sneezed. Kairi had never had her own wedding and wasn't planning on having her own for at least a few more years, but she knew how important the day was, especially with how important weddings were in Destiny Islands, and it only saddened her more when she picked up a fallen banner and took a look around at the disaster.

"I really feel bad for them." Kairi said kicking some debris.

Namine nodded. "True, but as long as nobody got hurt, that was the important thing."

Xion snickered as Aladdin and Jasmine entered the room, along with a few other friends including a monkey, a bright red bird, and what appeared to be...a flying carpet? "Speaking of which…"

"Jasmine!" Kairi exclaimed as she ran over to the princess. "It's so good to see you! It's been a couple of years!"

Jasmine smiled and nodded. "It has been, Kairi. And look at you, you've grown into quite a strong warrior."

"Wait a second," Aladdin said studying Kairi's face. "Your name sounds familiar. Are you-"

"Whoa! Talk about bringing the house down! This wedding deflated faster than a Patriots football…"

Aladdin looked up at Genie with a confused look. "Uh...Genie?"

Genie gasped as he locked eyes with Kairi. "Oh! Who do we have here?" He wrapped his arm around her. "Look at this fine lady we have here! Blue eyes, charming smile, red hair, there's only one person this could be." Everyone awaited for Genie's answer. "Emma Stone."

Kairi tilted her head. "Uh…"

"Actually Genie, this is Kairi. She's one of the Princesses of Heart who was taken away just like I was." Jasmine explained.

"KAIRI? You're Sora's girl?" He asked, Kairi's face blushing at the comment about being 'Sora's girl'. Genie took out what appeared to be a smartphone and started typing away on it. "Girlfriend! I gotta add you on Facebook, and tag you in all of those statuses I posted whenever Sora mentioned you and refused to do it because he was just the cutest little bashful pumpkin!" He grabbed Kairi and pulled her closer to him. "Selfie! I gotta post this on Instagram! 'Finally meeting the girl of one of my best friends!' Hashtag, blessed!"

"Wow, so you're really a Genie?" Kairi asked.

"That's right! She's a bright one for sure. Now, brace yourself!" With the snap of his fingers, Genie suddenly began wearing overly large clothes with golden bling. As if that wasn't weird enough, everyone in the room could've sworn they heard some strange music playing in the background.

Xion scratched her head. "Is it just me, or is there rap music playing in the background?"

Genie flipped some sunglasses on and brought a microphone up close to himself. "_Now this is the story all about how my life got flip turned upside down, and I'd like to take a minute, just sit right there, I'll tell you all about how I became the Genie of the Lamp." _He...rapped?

"This is embarrassing…" The bird groaned as he hid his face under one of his wings.

"_In West Agrabah, living in a cave, stuffed stuck in a lamp I spent most of my days…"_

Aladdin held his arms up, cutting Genie off from his rap. "Genie! We may wanna wait on that until later." He turned to Kairi, a friendly look on his face. "So, if you're Kairi, then you must know Sora really well. I remember him mentioning you to us a few times when he visited us a while back."

"You could say that!" Namine teased, causing Kairi to blush.

Jasmine sighed, locking her hands together. "I was wondering if you two were going to come to the wedding. We sent invitations out to you two about six months ago."

"Yeah...sorry about that. Life was...a little crazy at the time."

"We thought so. Sora was always on the go. How is he, by the way? I'm surprised that you're here without him." Aladdin scratched the back of his head.

Kairi sighed and held her head low, a horrible pit forming in her stomach. At first, meeting some of Sora's friends seemed like a great idea, until she realized she was stuck with the responsibility of breaking the news of his death to any who asked. How could she bring herself to tell them? She could barely handle it herself after Sora had disappeared from her very eyes. Maybe she didn't have to tell them, Kairi thought. She was set on trying to save him. Maybe she could put it off until after she saves him and then they would never know, right? On the other hand, Kairi couldn't just stand there and say he was completely fine when he wasn't.

_**What was I supposed to do? First, Aladdin and Jasmine's wedding day was ruined, and now I'm supposed to just break additional bad news to them? Not to mention, just bringing up the subject was enough to make me feel sick to my stomach.**_

"Sora...he's...not with us right now." Kairi answered softly, hoping to hide her sadness. "He's...he's missing...and we have no idea where he is.." That was close enough for her, right? "But, we're working very hard to find him, starting with here. You haven't seen Donald and Goofy here recently, have you? They were going around searching for clues. I'm sure they would've come by here if you were good friends with Sora."

Aladdin shook his head, an eyebrow arching. "No, we haven't. I know there have been a number of occasions where we haven't been in Agrabah. Either they never made it here or we completely missed them." He said in a disappointing tone.

Genie gasped, his eyes popping out. "Wait! Sora's missing? Oh no! He could be anywhere! He could be trapped in a volcano, or stuck in a tornado, or worse...he could be trapped in an internet server where a bunch of crazy fangirls are fighting over who he's in love with!" He freaked out, earning confused looks from everyone else. "I've seen it, it's _not _a pretty sight…"

Aladdin shook his head. "Well, I'm sure Sora is okay, and you'll find him soon enough. He's a strong kid, and if he's been able to find you and your other friend before, then I'm sure you can do the same for him." He said optimistically, unintentionally worsening the pit in Kairi's stomach that, as long as she had doubts of her success, would be stuck there. "So, you've met Genie, but this also Abu and-"

"The name's Iago! At your service, you fine ladies." The bird greeted in a somewhat sly fashion, only causing awkward looks on the girls' faces.

"I'm Xion, and this is Namine. We also know Sora, kind of."

"It's a little complicated." Namine laughed as she brushed some hair behind her ear. She gasped as she noticed something unusual. Her hair was down and no longer in a ponytail. "Hey! Wait! My ribbon! My ribbon's gone!"

Jasmine gasped, taking notice of the missing ribbon. "I remember you wearing once when you first showed up."

Xion took a look around for the missing ribbon, as did Kairi. "Well...I'm sure it didn't get far." She muttered before noticed that she was missing something too. "Oh my gosh! Roxas' pendant is gone too!"

"Wait, you're missing something too?" Aladdin asked, growing concerned and his eyes turning towards Iago. "Iago?"

"Why are you looking at me? I already checked these girls out, they don't have _any _treasure!" He argued. Abu screeched and shamefully shook his finger towards. "I'm serious!"

"They don't have treasure, but they have valuables." Jasmine mentioned. "And it can't just be a coincidence that Xion and Namine both lost something important to them."

"Make it three." Everybody in the room looked towards a very panicked Kairi, whose face was pale and her breathing was rapid. "Guys, my lucky charm is gone!" She cried out before turning to run in the direction of the gardens. "My lucky charm is out there! We have to go after it!"

"No way!" Xion denied, shaking her head. "This can't be a coincidence!"

Aladdin sighed and shook his head. "I don't think it is. _They_ have something of mine." He paused and pulled out a sheathed dagger with golden hand icon on it. "Or rather..._someone_ that belongs to me."

Namine glared and shifted her gaze towards outside of the pavilion. "It had to have been The Forty Thieves that stole our valuables. I saw countless innocent people get robbed blind at the wedding."

"Somebody needs to arrest those guys and throw them into the dungeon forever!" Xion suggested as she curled her hand into a fist. "That pendant was a special memento Roxas gave me before we left. I hope whoever stole that pendant sleeps with one eye open tonight."

Kairi nodded in agreement. "And I _need _that lucky charm! More than ever!" She looked from her team back over towards Aladdin. "But Aladdin, _who _could The Forty Thieves possibly have?"

Aladdin took a moment to shut his eyes and take a deep breath in before answering. "My father…"

"WHAAAAAT?" All three girls asked in unison.

Genie sighed, his expression fading. "It's true. Poor Al here thought he was an orphan the whole time, but it turns out his father is still alive and is trapped in the world of The Forty Thieves."

"Well, if his father's trapped, then we oughta do something, right?" Kairi suggested.

"No…"

Everyone, excluding Jasmine, who seemed to expect this answer, looked at Aladdin with surprise on their faces.

Iago crossed his wings and flew onto Namine's shoulder. "Al's making the smart choice here. The guy's a jerk and The Forty Thieves are dangerous. Case and point, the end."

Kairi frowned, stepping towards Aladdin. "But he's _your _father. Don't you think you should-"

"Kairi, no offense, but this is something personal that I'd rather not talk about right now." Aladdin cut her off and turned his back. "It was nice meeting you, but I need a minute to myself to think this through. I'll be back."

Jasmine sighed helplessly as she watched her fiance drag his feet out of the pavilion. "I can't say I didn't expect him to say that."

Xion tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Here ladies, let's go up to my chamber and you three can freshen up. Kairi, you and I can catch up." The princess suggested as she began directing the girls out of the wedding pavilion and back towards the palace.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Back in the palace, Jasmine took the girls up to her chamber. It was a large room as one would expect for a princess with large silky curtains, a large bed, and large mirrors. Her handmaidens had visited her chamber with cool water and cloth for Kairi, Xion, and Namine to use to cool off from the extreme heat that neither of them were used to. Jasmine had finally changed out of her wedding gown and into a more casual pink outfit. Well, casual as far as being a princess went. The day was also starting to grow later judging by the warm colors in the sky from the sunset that cast an orange glow into Jasmine's chamber. It reminded Kairi and Xion of their respective homes and how beautiful the sunsets were.

Jasmine and the girls had also spent some time catching up with her, as did Genie after he joined the conversation. It also helped that Jasmine's pet tiger, Rajah, was keeping everyone company too. The girls all loved on him during their time of rest and learned just how good of a snuggle buddy a tiger can be. Kairi had told Jasmine all about her endeavors from the last couple years from being separated from Sora, to being kidnapped by both Axel and Saix, to becoming a fully-trained Keyblade wielder. Although most of their time was spent trying to explain to both Jasmine and Genie about both Xion and Namine's connections to Sora, which, to the average person, seemed very confusing.

"So let me get this straight, Namine, were created because Kairi's heart was inside of Sora's and when he released it and sacrificed it, his body and her heart became you and you have the ability to control memories. And Xion, you were a puppet created as a replica of another guy and you took this form because Sora's memories of Kairi became yours while Namine was fixing Sora's memories?" Genie asked after hearing about Xion and Namine's origin stories. The two girls looked at each other and nodded as if what he recited was the basic gist of it. "Is anybody else lost here, or is it just me?"

"I am!" Iago sighed, raising a wing. Abu nodded in agreement. Rajah growled and put his paws over his eyes.

Namine giggled. "I know it seems weird at first, but now, Xion and I are normal people just like Kairi."

Xion smiled and nodded before looking over at Kairi, who was standing quietly over by the curtains that went out to Jasmine's balcony, staring outside. "Kairi? You okay?" She asked, walking over.

"I'm okay, but I don't understand why Aladdin wouldn't want to go find his father? After so many years of being separated, don't you think he'd want to see him? When Sora and Riku were away from the island for over a year, that was hard enough. I can't imagine being separated from either of them for as long as Aladdin and his father were." Kairi softly said as she stared out towards the sunset.

Jasmine came over and joined Xion and Kairi by the balcony. "It's not that he doesn't want to see his father. Aladdin's having a hard time grasping the fact that his father is alive. He also seems to believe that his father left him and his mother."

Kairi crossed her arms. "But he doesn't know what happened. Shouldn't he go and try to figure that out? If I had that same attitude about Sora, we wouldn't have as strong of a connection as we do now." She sighed, holding her head low. _Then again, maybe if I did have that attitude, he wouldn't have had to do what he did…_

"You're right. I'm sorry about earlier. I know he seems quite harsh, but I promise you Aladdin has a big heart. He's just feeling conflicted right now."

"Jasmine, I don't doubt that at all." Kairi shook her head as they walked outside onto the balcony. "I can tell he has a big heart. You two seem to care about each other a lot."

Xion chuckled and leaned against the balcony railing as Namine came out to join them as well. "I'm curious though. How'd you end up with him as opposed to a prince?" 

Jasmine giggled. "It's a long story, but to sum it up, I felt trapped in this palace for many years, and then this boy from the streets reached out his hand, took me on a magic carpet ride, and showed me a whole new world, and it was one that I wanted to share with him."

"That's beautiful." Kairi beamed as Carpet flew over towards her. She shut her eyes and placed a hand over her racing heart. _It's like when we were kids. You helped me open up and experience a whole new life._

"I know all about feeling trapped in palaces." Namine said, her expression low and her hand running up and down her arm. A sharp pit in her stomach formed as she remembered the bitter cold darkness that shrouded her for what could only feel like such a long time. "I can still remember vividly, that time I was trapped in Castle Oblivion, manipulated by Marluxia to ruin Sora's memories, to hurt him." She softly said, a shiver running through her body. "It wasn't until my heart joined with Kairi's that I finally felt free."

Kairi shrugged her shoulders. "Even then, I didn't think you were truly free because you couldn't experience life the way I could."

"Then in a way, my freedom truly didn't come until I finally woke up a year ago in my new body…" Namine smiled softly. "It was all thanks to Riku."

Xion tilted an eyebrow. "I thought it was 'the other Riku' that gave up his body for you?"

"They may have had different bodies, but they had the same heart, and I still see that." She said placing her hands over her heart. "Riku was the one who freed me."

"Wait! They played ya too?" Iago asked as he flew onto Namine's shoulder. She nodded, keeping that serious expression on her face. "No way! You're too nice for that! Unlike me, I look out for my own tail feathers and I'm a glutton for treasure! Nothin' nice about me!"

"You say that Iago, but no matter how deep a person's darkness is, there's always a light that shines within." Kairi explained.

"You're right, Kairi."

Everybody turned towards the curtains that separated the balcony from Jasmine's chamber at the sound of Aladdin's voice. He walked outside, now in a new change of clothes and with a serious expression on his face

"Aladdin?" Jasmine stood up and walked over to him, their hands locking.

"Jasmine, she's right. No matter how deep my father's darkness is, there's always a light that shines through, and there's so much I want to know." He paused and looked down at the dagger in his hand. "He deserves a second chance, just like I did whenever I made mistakes. It's up to me to find him and save him." Aladdin softly said.

"Take as long as you need." She softly encouraged with a smile on her face.

"I can do this, but I can't do it alone." He said with his eyes darting towards a beaming Kairi. Xion and Namine stood up and joined her, their eyes beaming as well. "Kairi, Namine, Xion, we all have something important to us that The Forty Thieves have stolen from us. You up for a little adventure?"

Kairi smiled widely and nodded. "Yes! Those thieves have my lucky charm and I won't rest until I have it back in my possession!"

"Are we sure we wanna go after The Forty Thieves though?" Namine apprehensively asked. "You saw what happened at the wedding earlier." 

"We don't have a choice, Namine. Not only do we have precious possessions stolen, but someone's life is in danger." Xion firmly said. "We'll figure something out, but we can't not try." She turned and looked towards Aladdin. "We'll go with you. We're all in this together."

Genie hollered as he split into multiple dancing clones dressed in red basketball jerseys._ "We're all in this together-" _The clones began to sing.

"No! Genie! No! Anything but that!" Everyone in the room cringed and covered their ears.

"Okay, okay, I'll stick to the status quo." Genie crossed his arms as his clones disappeared. "All right! Genie and Al on another adventure! I love it!" He exclaimed as he poofed into an explorer's outfit.

"Not this time, Genie. If it's okay with you, I'd rather you stay here at the palace and take care of Jasmine."

"Are you sure Al?" Genie asked, Aladdin nodding in reply. He sighed heavily poofed over at Jasmine's bed reading a book. "Okay, but if you need me, I'll be over here reading The Sleeping Realm Theory. Only 250 more pages to go."

Aladdin exchanged affirmative nods with the girls before turning back to Jasmine. "I'll be back in time for our wedding, I promise." He swore as the two of them pulled each other into a tight embrace. Kairi couldn't help but smile at the connection Aladdin and Jasmine shared. She didn't need words to see how much they cared for each other, which only made her more eager to retrieve her lucky charm back from The Forty Thieves.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

After a little more preparation, Kairi, Namine, and Xion, all boarded Carpet with Aladdin at the lead, and took off on their little flight across the Arabian desert. The girls, especially Kairi, were all amused by how much sand there was in a single world. Kairi was used to seeing sand at the beach, but nowhere near as much. She didn't mind the sand at the island, but couldn't imagine living in a world that was mostly sand and not a lot of water to go along with it. Especially with how her feet would already sink in the sand at the beach, Kairi could only question how it was physically possible to to hike up and down large sand dunes.

It seemed the farther from the city they flew, the closer they were to the beach. However, it also seemed like Iago continued to be more anxious. For a bird that acted tough, Xion found his complaints rather amusing while Namine continued to pamper him like the good-natured maternal figure she was. Kairi, on the other hand, found Iago rather annoying and wished he would just keep his beak shut. Considering how much she loved animals, and especially loved the tropical birds that inhabited Destiny Islands, it said a lot if she was making a valiant effort to not curse out a blabbering bird.

"I should've stayed with the Genie…" Iago complained.

"You're not getting _airsick _are you, Iago?" Xion asked teasingly.

"No! Of course not! It's just that we are three girls, a boy, a rug, a monkey, and me. They are The Forty Thieves! We are bird chow!"

Kairi rolled her eyes as she kept her eyes focused ahead. "Not if we keep our voices _down_."

Iago huffed as he crossed his wings. "It's true what they say about redheads. They got spunk." He paused as his eyes caught sight of his bright red-feathered wings. "Wait, I'm a redhead too."

Aladdin tapped Kairi on the arm and pointed to the ground. "Hoofprints from horses, they still look fresh."

Both of them looked ahead and saw what appeared to be the last few thieves bringing up the rear of the entire band. Aladdin had Carpet speed up and follow closely behind, but far enough that they couldn't be seen. It wasn't very long until they came to a halt. All forty members of the band were now at a stop at the edge of the beach. Aladdin took his as an opportunity to hide behind some large rocks, allowing them to keep an eye on the thieves without any chance of being caught.

"Looks like they're trapped. Now what?" Namine asked. "It's not a good idea to try and ambush them. Not while we're outnumbered."

Xion crossed her arms and looked from around the rock, everyone else peeking out with her. "But the bigger question is why are they just standing there?"

"Wait, there!" Aladdin pointed out the King of Thieves as he pushed his way to the front. "That's the leader. If anyone knows where my father is, it's gonna be him." He paused as he noticed the leader hold up a hand. "What's he doing?"

"OPEN SESAME!"

The leader's voice echoed all the way across to what looked like a large rock formation that towered in the middle of the ocean. Everyone watched as the sea right below started to bubble like molten lava, almost as if it were getting ready to explode. Kairi, Aladdin, and the rest of the team nearly lost their footing at the ground started to shake similarly to how it had when the wedding was crashed. She watched intensely as a bright beam shot from the rock and through the sea, parting it and creating not only an opening within the formation, but a path to said opening.

After noticing that The Forty Thieves were galloping on their horses towards the opening, it was assumed that this was their hideout. Kairi and Aladdin exchanged affirmative nods before everyone jumped onto the carpet to follow them. The smooth ride suddenly picked up the pace when Namine noticed that the parting sea was now starting to crash resuming its normal state. Panicking, she cried out to Aladdin to pick up the pace. Everyone hung onto each other as the g-forces from Carpet suddenly speeding up nearly knocked Abu, Iago, and Xion off. Just as the opening had shut, everyone made it in safely, only for Carpet to "slam on the brakes" and send everyone flying off, the girls all landing on each other on the hard ground.

"Ow...what a bumpy ride…" Kairi groaned as she rubbed her head and sat up, knocking Xion and Namine off.

Xion slowly got up. "Yeah, it makes Kairi's ship flying look perfect."

"Is everyone alright?" Aladdin asked as he got back up.

"I know we are." Kairi answered before jerking her head back towards the now sealed entrance. "But I don't know about 'bird brain' over there."

"Somebody get me outta here!" Iago squawked and struggled as his tail remained caught between the two walls.

Namine laughed and walked over towards the trapped bird. "Don't worry, Iago. I've got ya." She knelt down and with one strong pull, she pulled Iago out. "There you go!"

"My savior!" He spread his wings out and clung onto Namine. "I'm sticking with her. She's the only one here with _some _sense." Abu rolled his eyes before hopping back onto Aladdin's shoulder.

"Come on, the sooner we find my father and your items, the sooner we can get back to Agrabah." Aladdin said leading them forward.

The girls followed Aladdin further into the cave. They were quite impressed with the architecture in this hideout. The fact that this was inside with how small the cave looked from the outside was enough for them to feel entranced. It almost looked like a small palace. No time for taking in the musty environment, Aladdin and Kairi were both in a hurry to infiltrate the hideout. It didn't take long to find the thieves' whereabouts. There was a large voice echoing from deeper within. Following the voice, Aladdin led everyone over to the real entrance into the hideout. Thankfully, there were enough walls where they could take cover and listen in on the current conversation that was going on.

"We could've had all of the loot from the wedding, but we had to follow _the king's _plan, and look what we have for our trouble in Agrabah, nothing!" One of the larger thieves ranted on before slamming his fist on a wooden table and smashing it. Kairi took a mental note to not mess with this guy. "Your time is running short, Cassim." He growled as he held up what looked like golden claws towards the leader's neck.

Aladdin gasped from hiding. "Cassim? My father…" He whispered soft enough that nobody else could hear him.

"Didn't I ever tell you that it's not smart to assume, Sa'luk?" Cassim asked in a cocky manner. He stepped forward until he was the center of the band's attention. "Just maybe, you might be too stubborn to admit that we had no choice but to flee." He reached into his pocket and pulled out Kairi's pouch. "I saw one of them, a Keyblade wielder."

Sa'luk growled, his curly mustache twitching. "You said NOTHING about facing the powers of a Keyblade wielder!"

"I knew nothing of their presence. Besides, the chances are they have come from an outside world. This only opens a door for more opportunities, but in the meantime, keep in mind, Keyblade wielders are strong, but they aren't always bright." Cassim stepped forward and held up the pouch earning astonished looks from everyone. "The one I encountered was carrying this. Keyblade wielders tend to carry valuables with them."

"Then let's see it, Cassim!"

Kairi gasped, gripping her now summoned Keyblade, as she watched Cassim dump the contents of her pouch on the crumbled table in the center. Her stomach started to bubble with rage as her desire to retrieve her lucky charm back send her adrenaline pumping through the roof. The falling seashells and munny only brought Cassim's cocky expression down to disappointing astonishment.

"Alright, girls! Let's get 'em! Let's get our items back!" Kairi hopped up and began running forward only for Aladdin to grab her by the arm.

"Kairi, wait!"

"Let go of me! I have to get my charm back!" She loudly whispered as she yanked her arm out of Aladdin's grip and went charging towards Cassim with the other girls following right behind dher.

"But Kairi, that's my…" He watched the girls run off, unable to finish what he was trying to say.

"I don't understand…" Cassim muttered, shaking his head. "These are just...broken seashell pieces. They are useless, so why are they-?"

"Out of the way!" Kairi charged through the band of thieves and tackled Cassim to the ground. "Xion! Namine! Cover me!" She held Cassim's head on the ground by her Keyblade. "Okay, King of Thieves, you're gonna hand over everything you've stolen from me and my friends, you got it?"

Cassim grunted as he attempted throw Kairi off. "W-what?"

"Don't try to play dumb with us!" Xion threatened. "As for the rest of you…"

Sa'luk grinned sinisterly and stepped towards the pinned Cassim. "Well, well, who do we have here? It looks a couple of street mice have lost their way." He held his claws out towards Kairi. "Well then, allow me to _show _you where both of you belong!"

Just as Sa'luk was about to attack both Kairi and Cassim, Aladdin lunged forward and tackled him to the ground. "Go! I've got him!" He yelled, leaving a confused look on Cassim's face. "I'm Aladdin! You're my father!"

"Huh?" Cassim and Kairi asked in unison.

Sa'luk knocked Aladdin off and stood up, towering above him. The dagger that Aladdin had been holding onto fell from his possession and right in front of Cassim. Knocking Kairi off of him, he walked over to the dagger and picked it up, studying the golden hand symbol on the sheath. It definitely looked familiar to him. In fact, the whole dagger looked familiar. He gasped as he looked at Aladdin's face as he desperately tried to hold off Sa'luk from attacking him, completely unaware of Kairi, who was behind him getting back up and ready to strike him down.

"I don't know about your father, boy, but I will send you to meet your other ancestors!" Sa'luk growled as he readied to slice his claws through Aladdin's flesh.

"Stop!" Cassim yelled, both Sa'luk and Kairi stopping their attacks. "The boy...is my son."

Aladdin sighed with relief. "Dad…"

"I…" Kairi muttered, speechless. Her eyes widened as she saw Aladdin's softened look. This was the real deal? This man was Aladdin's father? "I don't believe this…"

"I gave this dagger to my wife, and told her to give it to our newborn son, Aladdin, years ago."

One thief's eyes widened until they were about to pop out. "So it's true!"

"The boy _is _the son of the king!" Another thief gaped.

"Wait…" Aladdin said getting up off the ground. "You're the King of Thieves?"

"Like it or not, boy, we are blood." Cassim answered with an affirmative nod.

Xion scoffed, her eyes widened from shock. "Talk about a plot twist…" Meanwhile, Namine shared stunned looks with Iago, Abu, and Carpet.

Cassim, unable to grasp that his only son was standing in front of him after all these years, stepped forward and rested his hands on Aladdin's shoulders. Kairi was also having a hard time grasping the fact that only earlier that day, he was her enemy. Could this get anymore complicated for her?

"Has it really been that long, Aladdin?" Cassim asked, his eyes staring intensely into his son's. "I thought I'd never see you again. Look how you've grown."

Kairi couldn't help but gasp. "This is amazing." She muttered. "It kinda makes me wonder what it would be like if I found my long lost family from before Destiny Islands." She shuter eyes and placed a hand over her heart. "Grandma…" Her deep thoughts were interrupted by a harsh grab by Sa'luk. "Hey!" She squealed, looking behind and noticing the rest of the band had restrained Xion, Namine, as well as Carpet and the animals.

"Blood or mud, the boy was associated with this girl, an intruder!" Sa'luk growled as Kairi struggled to break free from his grip. "And we have rules about intruders." The rest of the thieves murmured in agreement with each other. "This girl has seen too much! AND…" He paused, everyone waiting for him to finish. "She wields the legendary Keyblade!"

Namine gasped. "Wait! How does he know that?"

"She's even more of a threat thanks to that key!" Sa'luk took his claws and held them up to her throat, eliciting a soft whimper from her. "She must die!" His eyes darted across the room, gathering the sight of all of Kairi's friends. Kairi felt her throat fall down to her stomach. This all felt too familiar to her. It also didn't help that this man was bald too. She suddenly remembered Xemnas having full grasp on her and Master Xehanort getting in her face, her body beginning to tremble from the traumatic memories. "They must all die!" Sa'luk declared. Aladdin gasped, a pit forming in his stomach as he started fearing for everyone's lives.

"Die?" Xion asked in distress. "Nu-uh! Forget it! I did not go through a year's worth of identity crisis, die at the hands of my best friend, spend months trapped in some self-sacrificial idiot's heart-no offense-, and then start my life up again as said idiot's enemy, and FINALLY get my friends and my own life back, only to die AGAIN a year later." She grunted as she struggled to break free of the thieves' grasp. "Forget it! I did not sign up for this!"

"The girl is right!" Iago argued, yelling in Cassim's direction. "He's your son, I'm his friend! Have mercy on the bird!" His eyes jerked back towards a distressed Namine briefly. "Oh yeah, and the blonde girl too, I like her." Abu shot a glare at Iago's comment.

Sa'luk sneered at Cassim, who couldn't help but have an unamused scowl on his face at how one of the members of his band of thieves was acting towards his only family. "Yes, Cassim. Mercy would be just like you...soft and weak."

There was much murmuring and muttering amongst the surrounding thieves. As much as Kairi didn't know how to feel about Cassim right now, even she could tell that he was under a lot of pressure, considering Sa'luk's order basically including killing Aladdin too. Would any father really have the heart to kill his own son no matter how long they had spent apart? His eyes darted between Aladdin, Kairi, and his men, thinking long and hard about what should be done.

"Kill 'em." Cassim casually answered, eliciting gasps from Kairi and Aladdin. Sa'luk grew a snakey grin across his face as he got ready to immediately kill the both of them right there on the spot. "Or...the girl could…"

"What? What is he thinking?" Namine asked, desperate for answers.

"Perhaps, she could...no, that's a terrible idea…"

Sa'luk growled. "Out with it already!"

Cassim thought for a moment before a wide smile spreading across his face. "The girl could face..._the challenge_." He suggested, earning nods of approval from the thieves. Kairi raised an eyebrow and tilted her head, confused by what he meant by "challenge". "Okay, then it's settled!" He declared, walking towards Kairi. "The girl will face the challenge. Shouldn't be that difficult for a _Keyblade wielder_, right?"

"Then _I _will be the one to test her!" Sa'luk declared as he got in front of Kairi and towered above her. Cassim's eyebrows furrowed as a look of disapproval spread across his face. "It's like you said, it shouldn't be that difficult for a Keyblade wielder, right?" He sneered while shooting a deadly glare towards Kairi.

Feeling the effects of Sa'luk's threatening disposition, Kairi felt her legs trembling. All she was expecting was to find Aladdin's father and retrieve her lucky charm back, not take some type of test. She had no idea what this challenge meant, but based on how desperate Sa'luk seemed to test her, it was anything but safe. Part of her wanted to just attempt to break her friends out and run. At the same time, they were severely outnumbered, leaving Kairi with no other option but to face the challenge if she wanted to walk out of here alive.

Aladdin, who was not having this, especially with the life of Sora's girl on the line, stepped forward. "Dad! Do something! You can't expect Kairi to-"

"I accept your challenge!" Kairi yelled. Everyone went silent in the room. "You think I'm an intruder? Fine then. I'll take the consequences, and I'll accept the challenge." She snickered and crossed her arms. "Besides, it's like you both said, as a Keyblade wielder, it shouldn't be _that hard_, right?" She boasted with false confidence when in reality she was dying inside, fearing for her life. Yet, Kairi would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the expression of a deflated ego on Sa'luk's face.

Kairi immediately started eating her words as soon as The Forty Thieves started hauling her and her friends farther up this mountain. It was dark, musty, barely lit up by torches, and it was set up almost as if there was an arena in the middle. One look at the arena and Kairi could feel a lump forming in her throat. She knew exactly what the challenge was. She had read too many books on ancient battles and fictional stories that included "challenges" that turned out to be a fight to the death. Another thing about those challenges that left a pit in her stomach, they were very violent and didn't typically end very well.

Xion and Namine were tied around a pillar by a rope while Iago and Abu where both locked up in a cage. While Aladdin and Kairi stood over by Cassim, Sa'luk was nowhere to be found immediately. She used this opportunity to stretch out. If she was going to be fighting this guy to the death, she had to be ready. Kairi hung onto a wall as she grabbed her foot and lifted it all the way up, stretching her leg completely. If there was one thing she knew going into this battle that she would have an advantage over, it was that she was very agile, flexible, and fast. Riku would almost argue that she was faster than Sora when it came to evasion, but she was also more brittle, having gained a little muscle from her training with Merlin, but still needed more if she was going to be able to take damage from enemies like Sora and Riku could.

"Kairi, are you sure you wanna go through with this?" Aladdin asked as he placed a hand on her tense shoulder.

Kairi breathed deeply. "I have to. I don't any other choice."

"Let me go in your place."

"No. I accepted the challenge, and now I have to face it." She gripped her Keyblade tightly and began stepping towards the center of the arena.

Cassim shook his head. "You can't take her place, boy. The test is between her and Sa'luk."

"But she'll be killed! She's not as experienced!" Aladdin argued.

"Then she better start counting her lucky stars."

Kairi watched as her opponent stepped into the area from the shadows. Compared to her, Sa'luk was easily at an advantage, towering at over seven feet tall compared to Kairi being only slightly taller than five feet. Focusing all of her energy into her Keyblade, she held her weapon tightly with both hands and crouched into her battle stance. Her heart started racing and her breathing became unsteady as the thief that served as the referee for the match, held up a sword, signifying that the battle was starting within seconds.

Sa'luk kept his eyes intensely locked with Kairi's as dark smoke started to surround the dangerous thief and his brown eyes started to lighten up and shine in a golden hue. Kairi's heart fell to her stomach as the golden eyes sent nightmare-like flashbacks throughout her mind. She remembered many pairs of golden eyes, but none so threatening as the ones from the man himself, the one who was responsible for her entire life changing, the one who used her as fire to fuel Sora's anger, the one who was the reason why she was standing here today, ready to face Sa'luk in a fight to the death.

"Xehanort…" She muttered.

"KAIRI! WATCH OUT!" Aladdin shouted from the sidelines.

Kairi snapped out of her lost thoughts and flew to the side, barely dodging Sa'luk as he came charging towards her with his claws. She swung her Keyblade knocking his claws back only for him to counter with a hard punch that knocked her backwards and off her feet. Shaking it off, Kairi hopped back up and charged towards him again, ready to swing at him once more. Sa'luk roared and charged towards Kairi too, only for her to perform a slide dash underneath, knocking him off his feet.

"Come on, Kairi! Get him!" Xion cheered.

As Sa'luk hopped to his feet, Kairi got ready to cast Fire, only for him to trip her and knock her back down again. He lunged forward with his claws ready to cut her up.

"Oh! I can't watch! Tell me when it's over!" Namine pleaded as she shut her eyes and turned her face away.

With Kairi getting back up, she was starting to feel the rage building up within her. She held her Keyblade up and charged forward, attempting to get him with a vertical slash. In a surprising attempt to block her, Sa'luk grabbed the middle of the Keyblade and held it back. Kairi gasped at his block before he used the Keyblade to lift Kairi off the ground and smack her back down onto the ground. She grunted in pain rubbed her back after landing. Her eyes caught sight of Sa'luk attempting to slice her once more and she rolled out of the way, dodging him. While kneeling, she held out her hand and stole the Keyblade out of Sa'luk's grip and back into her own.

"Give it up, girl. You are _weak_!" Sa'luk taunted.

"If we're talking hearts here, then I see one that's even weaker!"

Kairi yelled back as she swung her Keyblade into his side, cutting him. He grunted in pain, but didn't seem to let "a scratch" get to him. Sa'luk roared and throwing deadly attacks left and right towards Kairi. She held up her Keyblade and blocked them as much as she could. Much to her disadvantage, Sa'luk was a smart fighter. With a heavy fist, he slugged Kairi right in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her and causing her to let her guard down. She attempted to catch her breath only to be met with the sharp pain of Sa'luk's claws travelling harshly down her arm.

"AAAHHHHH!"

Kairi cried out in pain and fell to her knees, holding her arm that now had blood streaming down it. The stinging sensation from the fresh slash marks that ran down her forearm was enough for her briefly lose her concentration. Kairi removed and studied her bloodstained hand, catching Sa'luk from the upper parts of her eyes. She shot her head up in time to notice him readying to nail her with his claws again. Kairi reached for her Keyblade and instinctively held it in front of her to block him, all while her body trembled in pain and fear.

"No!"

Instead of feeling the brunt of Sa'luk's attack against her Keyblade, Kairi looked up and saw Aladdin standing in front of her, blocking his attack with his dagger. The young man struggled to hold him back, ordering Kairi to get out of the way. Obeying his command, she rolled out of the way and watched as Aladdin became Sa'luk's next target. The battle had gone from a challenge to a real fight to death as Aladdin shoved his enemy off and began throwing punches toward him. Kairi was about to charge in and help only for Sa'luk to hold his hand up and summon Bandit Heartless between them.

"Fine! You wanna play dirty? Then we'll play dirty!" Kairi muttered to herself as she crouched back into her battle stance.

Two battles seemed to be going on at the same time at this point. Aladdin was fighting off Sa'luk now while Kairi was facing off against the Heartless. While the Bandits were easier to take care of, she felt bad that Aladdin had to jump in and defend her. It only angered her more that she was supposed to be strong enough to handle this on her own and yet, she could barely take down one other person. Channeling her anger into her fighting, Kairi swung left and right at the Heartless, taking them out, one my one. She managed to block an incoming attack from a Bandit before countering back with a new spell that she hadn't tried yet.

"THUNDER!" Kairi yelled as she stuck her Keyblade out in the air, bolts flying in from above and zapping a couple Heartless in front of her. The spell wasn't strong enough to take them out, but enough to stun them, and giving Kairi a chance to charge in and finish them off with a spinning vortex attack from her Keyblade.

Aladdin, on the other hand, seemed to be having the same struggle against Sa'luk. Even if he was technically stronger than Kairi, that didn't make Sa'luk any easier of an opponent. Once again, the man was a smart fighter and he adjusted his fighting style to better suit his opponent. While facing Kairi, he had focused on cutting off her speed and fighting defensively, but with Aladdin, he had shifted to using brute force, not having to worry as much about Aladdin dodging practically every single attack. In fact, he was able to nail a few punches on him. Aladdin, on the other hand, managed to not only kick Sa'luk in the stomach, but also tripped him. Of course, it took a lot more than just a few punches and kicks to take Sa'luk down. In fact, with each attack Aladdin landed on him, Sa'luk's rage only manifested more.

Finishing off the last of the Heartless, Kairi looked back and saw that Sa'luk had knocked Aladdin out for a brief second before lifting him up high in the air. Both her and Cassim gasped, afraid for the boy's life. As Kairi ran towards them, ready to charge at Sa'luk with an attack, the towering thief threw Aladdin off the cliff, her yelling his name in vain that he would somehow just float back up. Not really thinking much, Kairi instinctively dove off the cliff after him, sticking her Keyblade into the wall and using it to help slow down her fall. Lucky for the both of them, there was a very thin ledge that was just enough to serve as a safe landing spot.

Aladdin heaved a sigh of relief as balanced himself on the edge of the cliff, having used his dagger to slow his fall as well. He looked up and saw Kairi sliding down the wall with her Keyblade. "Kairi? What are you doing here?"

"I couldn't just let you get thrown off like that. Besides, you saved me back there. Returning the favor is the least I could do."

"Except now we're both trapped down here." He said crossing his arms, leaving Kairi scratching her head as if she didn't think this plan through. The sound of metal scratching against the stone caught the attention of Aladdin as he looked up and saw Sa'luk joining the two of them. "Watch out, Kairi!"

Kairi gasped as she whirled around and found herself between Aladdin and Sa'luk. _Doesn't this guy ever give up? _She thought as she backed away, instinctively, holding her arm out in front of Aladdin. She'd be lying if she said she didn't feel like a badass during this moment, now understanding Sora's bravery and that adrenaline he got whenever one of his friends was in danger. With literally no other options considering they were on the edge of a cliff, Kairi gripped her Keyblade tightly, ready for anything. All three of them were one wrong step away from falling to their deaths.

"Looks like you're caught between a rock and a hard place." Sa'luk growled as he shot his hand towards Kairi, who managed to block his attack with her Keyblade, shielding both herself and Aladdin. Her eyes darted past Sa'luk and caught sight of Aladdin's dagger that was above her and sticking out of the wall.

Kairi struggled to hold off his attack. "Well, if I'm between a rock and a hard place, then I'd say you're off to a rocky start!" She lunged forward and pushed Sa'luk back before leaping up and gripping Aladdin's dagger. Taking advantage of swung off the ground, Kairi swung back before hurling her legs forward, kicking Sa'luk towards the edge of the cliff. The thief struggled to retain his footing as his weight sent him falling backwards, off the cliff, and down towards his death. Kairi dropped back down to the ledge and, with Aladdin, watched their enemy fall.

"Wow, you did it, Kairi."

"I did it?" Kairi's eyes widened as she realized that she had, in fact, taken down one of the most threatening members of The Forty Thieves. "Oh my gosh! I actually did it!" She took a deep breath and bumped a fist into the palm of her hand. "Wow, that felt...good. That felt _really _good. Now I know how Sora felt. Is it normally always this satisfying taking down a bad guy?"

Aladdin shrugged. "You'll get used to it." His attention shifted up as a rope dropped down to their level from above. "Come on, let's get back up."

Kairi nodded, dismissing her Keyblade. After that close call, the last thing she wanted was to be on that ledge anymore. She followed Aladdin up the rope until they had reached the top. Waiting for them were all thirty-eight members of the Forty Thieves as well as Cassim, who seemed to have a firm scowl across his face. Considering that Sa'luk was defeated, Kairi was very surprised that the Cassim wasn't happier for them. He definitely seemed strange to her. Just what was this guy's intentions with her and Aladdin?

"She did it!" Namine cheered, Xion smiling widely with her.

"I see you have defeated Sa'luk." Cassim firmly said with his arms crossed.

"But the girl, she defeated Sa'luk with the help of your son!" One thief pointed out.

Another thief nodded, scowling towards Kairi. "Yeah, the girl has cheated the challenge!"

"Cheated?" Iago blurted out. "You saw that guy and he was as big as two guys into one! It was a fair fight if ya ask me!" Abu squealed and nodded his head in agreement.

"Well, I did create the rules in the beginning, who's to say I can't change them?" Cassim stepped closer to Kairi and Aladdin. "Regardless of the matchup, you defeated Sa'luk, and according to the code of The Forty Thieves…"

Kairi and Aladdin stared up at Cassim, waiting for him to finish.

"You're in!" He announced, the rest of the thieves cheering in the background.

"WHAT?" Kairi asked, her voice raising an octave.

**A/N: For anybody who's curious about the "Fresh Genie of Bel-Air" rap, credit goes to my buddy, **_**Shire Folk, **_**for coming up with the lyrics. I knew I wanted to make a reference to that with Genie and that was genius!**


	10. The Secret of the Oracle

Chapter 10: The Secret of the Oracle

Kairi and Aladdin's fight against Sa'luk was an especially daunting challenge, especially for her. The reward was something neither of them expected either. It wasn't money, treasure, or even getting Kairi's lucky charm back. It was being inducted into the Forty Thieves as official members. To say Kairi was shocked at this was an understatement. With her pure-natured heart and good morals, she never once thought about joining a criminal group like the Forty Thieves. At the end of the day, she didn't have much of a choice, but to roll with it, especially with Aladdin and Cassim being related.

While Sa'luk's defeat did lead to the two of them being accepted and inducted into The Forty Thieves, the real shocker was that Sa'luk had actually survived the fall. The large thief may have had a run in with what appeared to be a great white shark, but considering his excellent strength, the shark was nothing to him despite it putting up a good effort to try and enjoy what could've been its excellent meal. Sa'luk knocked the shark onto the shore before climbing out of the ocean himself, scowling in frustration at his defeat. He was essentially number two in ranking in the Forty Thieves. How could he lose to a couple of kids who just appeared out of nowhere? Especially with one of them being such a "weak little girl"?

As Sa'luk dragged his feet across the sand, the corner of his eye caught the sight of a familiar figure. He was donning a black coat with a hood that shielded his identity and leaning against the wall of a cliff with his arms crossed. His attitude at the moment came off as cocky and nonchalant, which only bothered Sa'luk considering the mood he was in. He knew what this person was like thanks to a previous encounter and he was in no place to try and converse with this person.

Unfortunately, Sa'luk didn't really have much of a choice in regards to that.

"Whoa! Lookin' pretty wet there, 'shark bait'!" The hooded figure remarked. Sa'luk growled and continued to walk past him. "Heard you were busted pretty bad up there. As someone who intends on taking over the Forty Thieves, you got some explainin' to do."

"In case you haven't noticed, you FORGOT to mention that brat with a Keyblade!"

"Eh...technically there's three of 'em. Well, almost three. The blonde can barely hold her own in battle."

Sa'luk scowled and walked closer to the hooded figure until they were standing within inches of each other. "Why is it that _you _were sitting off to the sidelines while I was toppling off the ledge like a vase?"

The hooded figure dramatically gasped. "Are you telling me that it's _my_ fault you got your behind handed to you by a petite little girl? She got you good didn't she?"

"Dare to challenge me too? I had Cassim's scrawny son hanging off the edge of death and I can surely do the same to you." Sa'luk threatened as he held his claws up towards the opening to the figure's hood.

"Heh, that's funny." The hooded figure laughed before disappearing and reappearing behind Sa'luk, pointing an arrowgun towards his temple. "You never struck me as a comedian, big fella! Well, you learn something new every day, don't you?"

"My plan of taking over the Forty Thieves and disposing Cassim has sunk to rock bottom because of _that key_! Just how do you expect me to succeed when your puny Heartless are easily disposable against the brat and her Keyblade?"

"The Heartless are only as strong as the will of the one who commands them. What do you think that says about you?" He responded as he turned his back and began walking away.

"You claim to have 'an eye that knows all', Xigbar" Sa'luk remarked. "How about putting that eye to use before I take the other one? Tell _me_ where the Hand of Midas lies."

"First you insult my power and my minions, now you demand my help? Make up your mind grey-skin!"

"I will deliver whatever it is you desire, if you give me the power I have endless hunger for."

Xigbar gently ran a hand over his arrowgun. "Heh...you've already got this power, you just gotta know how to use it. Violence isn't everything, you know?"

"I did not ask for a lecture." Sa'luk scoffed as he crossed his arms.

"Then help yourself to some "advice"." Xigbar wrapped his arm around Sa'luk. "Take full advantage of the fact that you're number two! Believe me, I know all about dealing with _old coots _who think they're number one! But guess what? The ball is practically rolling into your court now. Cassim and his son have reunited, he'll be going soft any day now. Once that happens, all you gotta do is get rid of him, and you'll be top dog."

"And what about the girl with the key?"

"Just leave her to me...and my _secret weapon._" The figure sneered as he looked towards a dark portal that formed right beside him.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Kairi grunted as she felt the stinging discomfort of her scratched up forearm from Sa'luk's brutal attack on her earlier that night. Naminé, being the expert she is at first-aid, did her best to not cause any further pain. Between the long journey from Agrabah and the rigorous fight against Sa'luk, the only thing Kairi had on her mind was a place to rest and recover. Xion and Naminé managed to get their stolen items back, but Cassim was still hanging onto Kairi's lucky charm and she wanted to wait for the perfect moment to confront him about it.

Cassim had taken Aladdin as well as the girls up to his chamber in the hideout. It wasn't anywhere near as glamorous as Jasmine's palace, and it didn't have the familial feeling that Axel's apartment had, but it was better than nothing. Not to mention, Kairi found those Forty Thieves to be rather crazy and rowdy when it came to initiating somebody into their band. Speaking of initiation, Kairi chose to ignore the fact that every single one of those men were making such a _big _deal about her being a female. She never realized that so many wouldn't take the idea of strong women so seriously. If anything, it made her feel sick to her stomach.

"Gee, where were you when this bird had an injured wing months ago?" Iago asked Naminé as she finished bandaging Kairi's arm.

Xion snickered. "Inside _this one's _heart." She nudged Kairi in the arm before earning a playful jab from the redhead.

"Everyone at Radiant Garden says I'm a natural healer." Naminé said with a giggle. "The boys over in Ansem's lab are always working with dangerous tools and chemicals. Occasionally, they need their 'star nurse' to fix a couple things up." She paused and looked down at her hand. "Something about having a gentle touch."

Iago looked up at Naminé with 'innocent' eyes. "Care to demonstrate? My back is _exhausted _from all of this flying, and the jetlag is making it worse." He pleaded, earning an 'oh brother' from Abu, who was sitting on Xion's lap.

"Iago, that's not how jetlag works, but…" Naminé picked up the bird and placed him in her lap, rubbing his back with the tips of her fingers.

"Ooooh, I like this, I like this a lot!" Iago sighed as he fell onto his belly, wings spread out. "Oh, lower, lower, ah yes!"

Aladdin came over to check on the girls after he finished setting up the tents for him and the girls to sleep in. They had come to the decision to stay at Cassim's chamber overnight with how late the hour was. Plus, Kairi and Aladdin could use the rest after their fight.

"How are you holding up, Kairi?" He asked.

Kairi stood up, showing off her bandaged arm. "All patched up! Naminé said it's not a deep cut, so it shouldn't take long to heal." Cassim came over to join everyone, eliciting a bitter glare from Kairi's face. "What do you want?" She asked, instinctively holding her arm up defensively.

"I simply want to congratulate you and my son on your efforts. You defeated my enemy, you should be proud."

Aladdin scoffed. "We were just trying to stay alive."

"If you hadn't fought, neither one of you would be here, says the code of The Forty Thieves."

"I wouldn't say joining a band a thieves is something to be proud of." Kairi said turning her face away. "You rob innocent people blind and you hurt them! Why would I want anything to do with that?"

Cassim shook his head. "That's where you're wrong. We never hurt the innocent."

"Like I believe that…"

Cassim sighed. "Believe what you will about the Forty Thieves, but believe this, you've done more than defeat my enemy, Kairi. You reunited me with my son." He turned so his guilty expression was hidden from the rest of the group. "My son, that I hadn't seen for years." He paused, curling his hand into a fist. "It has been much too long."

"I don't get why you left in the first place." Aladdin said bitterly.

Xion nodded. "I don't know much about family, but I'm pretty sure fathers are supposed to be a part of a child's life. At least, based on what Axel has taught me and Roxas."

"Follow me." Cassim waved them to follow him up the steps towards a secret closet. "My men don't even know about this." He opened the closet and pulled out a rolled up scroll. "For years, I've been on the hunt for the ultimate treasure. One that would've been more than enough to support my family with, and I've been _this_ close to it."

Aladdin folded his arms. "Then what held you back? What is this ultimate treasure?"

"This treasure is located within the Vanishing Isle, never in the same place twice." Cassim unrolled the scroll to reveal what looked to be a hand bearing a golden color in the middle of it. "The Hand of Midas."

"Wait!" Kairi cut him off. "I've heard about this thing. I read about it. It turns whatever it touches into solid gold. I learned this in a mythology class earlier this year."

"So, then it's a myth." Aladdin remarked as he rolled his eyes.

Cassim shook his head, gritting his teeth in frustration. "It's not a myth! Look!" He pulled a green curtain back to reveal a body of water that had a sunken ship, but it wasn't any sunken ship, it was made of solid gold. "Only the Hand of Midas could have caused this. Touched by the Hand of Midas! Solid gold!"

"Now, that's what I call the ultimate treasure!" Iago exclaimed as he stared directly at the ship.

Naminé gazed down at the sunken ship. "That's amazing! All this time, I never thought I'd see it with my own eyes!"

Kairi shook her head. "I can't believe this!"

"Believe it, lass. The Hand of Midas exists!"

"No! I mean, I can't believe you left your family for this!" She curled her hand into a fist. "I can't believe I wasted my time coming out to find you when I could've been trying to save Sora this whole time!"

"Kairi…" Naminé muttered her name as she watched her friend turn around and begin to storm back up the stairs.

Xion hurried after her. "Kairi where are you going?"

"I'm going to get a goodnight's sleep because first thing in the morning, I'm resuming my mission. I suggest you and Naminé do the same." Kairi said bitterly, not looking back and leaving to go to one of the tents to sleep.

Cassim groaned and shook his head. "She doesn't understand. Neither of you do. You don't understand what it's like to feel like you deserve more...and be called _street rat_."

"Yes...I do…" Aladdin said quietly.

"Well…" Xion began. "I can't speak for being called a street rat...but I know all about being treated like you're nothing...nothing but a..._puppet._" She ended off with a whisper.

"I knew exactly what I wanted for my family, and I couldn't just return empty-handed." Cassim turned and faced the wall. "But then weeks turned into months, then turned into years. And when I finally came back to Agrabah, I couldn't find my wife...or my son…" He paused, his voice getting softer as Aladdin looked sympathetically at him. "I thought I had lost my family forever. And in that moment, I would have given _anything _to get your mother back."

Xion and Naminé looked at each other, their hearts feeling heavy for him. They both knew all too well what it felt like to lose someone precious to them and to feel alone. It had seemed that his story had given them a whole new perspective on why Cassim was separated from Aladdin for so many years. While they didn't agree with him leaving like he did, his heart was in the right place, at least. Now, if they could just get Kairi to see that.

Giving Aladdin and his father a moment alone to talk, Naminé excused herself and Xion from them and began traveling the stairs back to the chamber.

"We didn't want gold." Aladdin said stepping closer to his father, not even noticing that the girls had left. "We wanted _you_. I wanted a _father_, and I still do."

"Aladdin…"

"Dad, come to my wedding. Mom died when I was just a kid, and I never knew you were alive for so long. Now, this is finally my chance to have a family. This is _our_ chance to be a family. Please, come back and be a part of my family."

Cassim sighed, guilt in his heart. "Aladdin, I just don't know…"

"Think about it. I'm not going back to Agrabah until the morning. This isn't just my second chance, this is yours too."

Cassim watched as his son walked away with hope on his face. As much as the idea of officially becoming a family with Aladdin once again sounded great, could he really drop his current life of crime? This meant having to change a lifestyle he had lived for nearly two decades. What would happen to him after Aladdin was married anyway? Would he live at the palace with his son too? Would he even see Aladdin anymore once he was married? What about the Forty Thieves? What would happen to all of them? They were wanted criminals in Agrabah. Not to mention, how would Aladdin's future wife and father-in-law react when they find he's the King of Thieves? Too many questions only clouded Cassim's ability to make a decision.

"Aladdin doesn't understand, I don't belong in his world." He sighed, confiding in the only sign of life in the room with him, Iago.

"The Oracle doesn't belong in his world either, it belongs in the hands of two professional treasure hunters, you and me." He said with his beak held high.

"The Oracle...probably just another dead end…"

"It works! That's how the kid found you! It knows everything!"

"Everything?" Cassim asked, his face lighting up with interest.

"Not only do I know where they stashed it, but I know the perfect way to get our hands on it without gettin' 'em dirty." Iago grinned while rubbing his wings together. "The redhead is a perfect candidate for assistance."

Cassim scoffed. "You can forget asking Kairi. She won't even accept that she's now a part of the Forty Thieves. Besides, why her?"

"You're forgetting one itsy bitsy, but important detail. Like your son, she too, is looking for someone close to her heart."

"Hmm, she did mention a name I was unfamiliar with…" He thought for a moment before shaking his head. "But, it just wouldn't work! I know how Keyblade wielders are. They are stubborn. Once they have their heart set on a certain path, nothing will come between them and achieving their goal." Cassim paused as he leaned against the wall, his arms crossed. "I met one many years ago. It was after my wife and I were married, we were expecting, and we had lost everything. I didn't know what to do. I had a child on the way and had to give my wife and child the life I wanted them to have." He sighed heavily and shut his eyes. "I met this young man in the desert, and he had a Keyblade. He spoke to me about a prophecy, about how one day, light would expire and darkness would prevail. If I wanted to save my wife and child, I had to make a choice, so helped me turn to the life of crime, and thievery. This young man was convincing and he seemed so sure of the future, how could I not trust him when I had nobody who would help us?"

Iago threw his wings up. "You see what I'm saying, Cassim? You say the Keyblade users are stubborn, well the redhead is just as stubborn about finding this guy of hers as anyone can be."

"Is that so?"

"Didn't you realize that she took off and left before you had the chance to explain yourself?"

Cassim placed a hand under his chin. "She did. If she truly is set on saving this boy…" He gasped and smiled cunningly. "The girl would do _anything_ then, am I right?"

"Cassim, we're talking about your only son's wedding! It's a once in a lifetime opportunity!"

"Yes, how could I miss that?"

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Naminé tossed and turned under the blanket she was snuggled under. Maybe it was because of the hard floor she was lying down on, maybe it was the humidity in the air, or maybe it was because of the dreams she was having. The strangest thing for her was that these dreams weren't even those of her. They were of Aladdin of all people. These dreams all seemed to be occurring throughout different points of his life. One dream was him wandering the streets alone as a saddened small boy, the other focused on him and Abu with a loaf of bread running from the palace guards, which turned into a dream of him and Jasmine talking in the sunset. The dreams seemed to flow through her mindset in succession, each one acting as an abridged flashback to one of Aladdin's major life moments. It was a lot for Naminé to handle.

As the dreams continued and Naminé found herself unable to control them. They continued to jump from moment to moment. Some of the dreams were downright depressing while others were very heartwarming. Her heart started racing as her head started pounding. The harder her heart raced, the harder it was for her to breathe. Naminé found herself gasping for air as drops of sweat fell down her face. It was enough for Kairi, who was sleeping in the same tent as her and Xion, to wake up from her deep slumber and crawl over to her friend, who was now shaking as if she was cold.

"Naminé! Naminé! Wake up!" Kairi whispered.

Naminé shot up from her sleep and held her chest, trying to catch her breath. "What...what was that?"

"What happened? Did you have a crazy dream?"

"It wasn't just one...it was a lot of dreams at once." Naminé wrapped her arms around herself, staring down into her lap. "They were of Aladdin mostly, but Jasmine was in them too. Genie, Abu, Iago, and some evil pointy-looking man I've never seen before."

"Huh, those are strange." Kairi said crossing her arms. "We never knew Aladdin before this and the only reason I knew Jasmine was from association and terrible circumstances."

"That's what I'm saying." Naminé looked over to find Xion still in a deep sleep, snoring quietly. Ion "Wow, Xion's a heavy sleeper."

Kairi laughed. "She obviously gets that from Sora. He's the same way."

"Sorry for waking you…" Naminé anologized, twiddling her hands.

"No, no, you're okay. I _wanted _to make sure you were okay."

"Well, I feel fine now. Maybe it was just one of those, 'happens once and then never happens again' type of ordeals, you know?" Naminé asked, Kairi nodding in response. "Thanks for checking up on me. We should probably get back to sleep." She fell back down and pulled the blanket over her.

Kairi nodded in agreement as she crawled back over to her spot and lay back down. Unlike Naminé, she couldn't bring herself to fall back asleep. She couldn't stop thinking about why Naminé had those dreams. On the other hand, Kairi was also feeling restless and just wanted to get her lucky charm back and move on. She also knew in her heart that Aladdin needed friends' support right now with how big of a deal this was. The one thing that plagued her mind the most, was what Cassim had shared with them, his reasoning for leaving his wife and son behind. Kairi couldn't stand behind the idea of a father leaving his family for something as heartless as money or treasure. Then again, were his intentions truly good?

Not being able to sleep, Kairi decided to grab her notebook and write in it. Not wanting to disturb Naminé and Xion, she slowly crawled out of the tent and found a spot against a strong pillar to lean against. This journey was rather overwhelming for Kairi considering she was traversing these worlds on her own for the first time rather than just visiting one or two with Sora and Riku. Bringing her notebook and writing in it was a godsend for her, allowing her to pour her thoughts and feelings onto paper.

_**Hearing the story of Aladdin's father, and how he left his family in search of something 'more valuable', made me feel so angry for some reason. Part of me feels like I was angry at Cassim for what he did. The other part of me didn't know who to be angry at. I want to believe I was angry at myself, because I started to see myself in Cassim's shoes. Looking back, I realized I was just as guilty as he was, for leaving my family without saying goodbye, all because I wanted to 'set things right'. **_

_**Searching for treasure and searching for a lost loved one are two different levels of value, but that didn't make either of our actions any less wrong. Cassim was wrong for leaving Aladdin and his mother behind to barely make ends meet. I was also wrong for leaving my family out of anger and grief, desperate to save you. I didn't want to admit it though. I guess I kinda picked up your stubbornness a little bit, huh?**_

Kairi looked up from writing in her notebook as she heard footsteps belonging to Aladdin travel towards her.

"Can't sleep?" She asked.

Aladdin nodded. "Yeah...a lot has happened today. You?"

"Same. I'm not used to so much happening within such a small span of time." She held her notebook close to her chest. "Sora just always seemed to brush it off like it was a normal day's work to be travelling and facing off all of these bad guys."

"I'm _kinda _used to it too. Although I'd say I'm more for 'sneaking around' rather than actually fighting."

Kairi nodded, smiling softly. Her smile faded when she looked down at her bandaged arm. "Aladdin? Have you ever been afraid of being a failure? Or have you ever felt like a failure and that you disappointed those you love?"

Aladdin sighed, leaning back and resting on his hands. "For years, Kairi. I felt that way for most of my life." She looked over, giving him her full attention. "My mother died when I was a kid. My father left when I was even younger than that, so I never even really knew him. I just thought maybe he had died when I never saw him again." He softly recounted the events of his past. Abu hopped over and rested in his lap, offering moral support as he wrapped his arms around Aladdin's leg. "I spent most of my life stealing what I needed to survive, running from the guards, and living my life alone with only Abu here."

"I don't agree with stealing, but in that situation, you had to do what you had to do."

"That may be true, but looking back now, I know my mother didn't raise me to be a street rat. She would've wanted me to try harder, to stop being such a kid and to start acting like a man in charge of his life. I thought about making some changes, but it wasn't until I met Jasmine randomly in the streets that I really _wanted _to change my life. She didn't deserve a street rat, she deserved a real prince. Even then, I felt like I couldn't be someone deserving of a princess."

Kairi smiled sweetly. "Aladdin, how can you say that? You have such a big heart. Jasmine believes it too. You are...oh, how do you say it? A diamond in the rough!"

Aladdin chuckled. "Thanks, Kairi. I can see why you mean so much to Sora."

"I appreciate that, because if I can be honest, I can't." She said, her smile fading to sadness. "I feel like all I've done over the last couple years is just cause more trouble for him, and now...he's worse than ever. Sometimes, I feel like maybe he'd be better off without me."

"Why do you think that?"

"I'm not...strong enough."

"You think that, but didn't you see how you took care of Sa'luk tonight?" Aladdin asked nudging her arm.

Kairi shook her head. "Only because you saved me."

"Actually, you must've not have remembered, but you were holding your Keyblade up, ready to block his attack by the time I jumped in. I underestimated you tonight. When you finished off Sa'luk, that was all you." He said in an encouraging manner. "Even if you don't feel your strongest right now, there's always room to grow and better yourself. I continue to work on myself and improve day by day, and if you keep at it, you'll find yourself growing stronger as well."

"Aladdin…"

"Besides, there's more to strength than just physical force. I can definitely tell your heart is very strong, and when you see Sora again, he'll see how far you've come, and he'll be proud of you." Aladdin began to stand back up. "Think about that and sleep on it." He suggested before turning and walking back towards his tent, leaving Kairi to continue writing in her notebook.

_**I'm gonna become someone worth saving. I don't know how exactly, but I am. I have to somehow. I'll make you proud. Believe me, as weak as I've been, you're in for a pleasant surprise. I've wasted time. I've wasted tears. Maybe I'm not very strong or very smart, but somehow, I'm gonna keep to my promise, and make you proud of your girl.**_

Hearing footsteps from right behind, Kairi turned and noticed Cassim dragging his feet across the ground behind her tent. She peeked out and she could've sworn the man locked eye contact with her out of the corner of his eye before walking out of the chamber. Something didn't sit right with her about his sudden eye contact with her. It was almost as if he were expecting her to notice him. Did she dare believe that he possibly wanted her to follow him?

Normally, Kairi would analyze the situation at hand, considering she was restless despite how exhausted she was, and the fact that she did not like Cassim whatsoever based on what she knew about him, she refused to play games. Her eyebrows furrowing, Kairi gripped her notebook tight and set it inside her tent before carefully following him. What was this man's intentions? She anxiously curled her hand inside and out, ready to summon her Keyblade at a moment's notice if required. Kairi followed the sound of footsteps out of the chamber and into the watery caverns that connected Cassim's chamber to the thieves' hideout. His foot colliding with the running water created small splashes that bounced off the rocky walls, allowing Kairi to follow him. It didn't take long for her to corner him at a wall, where he stood with his back to her.

"Now that we're alone, there's something we need to talk about." Kairi firmly said, breaking the silence between them.

"And what might that be my dear?" Cassim asked.

"You have something that belongs to me, and you're gonna give it back." She summoned her Keyblade and gripped tightly by her side.

"I've taken many things that don't belong to me. You'll have to be more specific, I'm afraid."

"You stole my lucky charm. Pinkish seashell? Broken in a specific place? You're going to give that back to me." Her firm command was followed by what appeared to be a long pause, with the only sound being running water and droplets falling from the top of the cave and on top of her head.

"And if I don't?"

Kairi gritted her teeth and held out her Keyblade towards Cassim. "Then I'll introduce your mouth to the business end of my Keyblade."

"There's no call for violence, Ms. Kairi." Cassim snickered. "I'm perfectly willing to give your charm back to you. _If_ you help me get something in return."

"You want me to help you steal something? Fat chance of that." She shook her head and began briskly walking back towards the chamber, her feet splashing the water.

"Even if it were helpful in finding _who_ you're looking for?"

Kairi stopped in her tracks, not even bothering to look at him. "...What're you talking about?"

"Do you even know what I was doing in the gift room? What I was trying to steal?" Cassim asked, crossing his arms.

"No, but-"

"You mean Aladdin didn't tell you? Aren't you the least bit curious?"

Kairi thought for a moment. Cassim seemed very insistent on her believing him. "Why should I believe anything a thief has to say?"

"You believe my son, don't you?"

"..." Kairi stared at the ground. He had a good point there. At the same time, Aladdin was one of Sora's friends and now one of hers. Of course she was going to trust him. Then again, the saying, 'like father like son', started to haunt her. If that saying was true then that could mean...

"What I want in return for your charm is the Rod of the Oracle. An omnipotent spirit that knows all things. You only need to ask, and she will answer." Cassim stated calmly, a very reasonable tone in his voice.

"You mean I could-?" She asked. Her heart started racing. This Oracle could be the answer to all her questions. Yet, asking her to steal something, was past her morality. "No. No, you're asking me to betray the trust of my friends and I can't do that."

"Are you sure that trust is reciprocated? If they didn't trust you with the knowledge of what a thief tried to steal from them, what else do you think they might be keeping from you?" Cassim asked bitterly, as if he knew what it felt like to not be trusted. "How do you know that you're not just an outsider in their world, one that's due to be removed?"

Kairi gasped, feeling a lump form in her throat. "That-That's not true. It can't be." She shook her head, still not looking at him. "You don't know anything about me!

"Maybe. But from what I've heard, this boy you're looking for was willing to do anything if it meant finding you and keeping you safe." Cassim took out Kairi's pouch and held it tightly.  
"Aren't you willing to do the same?"

Kairi didn't say anything. Instead, she stayed silent. _Of course I am! I'd give anything to save you..._She thought in her mind. _To have you home, safe, that's all I want_.

**Then save him, the right way.**

"Sora?" Kairi gasped.

_What 'right way'? There is no 'right way'! What if Cassim's right? What if Aladdin and Jasmine don't trust me because I really am an outsider? _She thought in her mind.

**Committing a dark act will only start you down a dark path. Look what happened to Riku.**

_The heart is foolish and weak and only brings pain! Think for once! Sora's own friends don't even trust you enough to share the knowledge of the Oracle with you!_

**What would Sora want?**

_What do YOU want?_

Kairi held her head together as it began pounding. Her body started shaking as the battle between her heart and her mind seemed to go on forever, desperate for Kairi to side with each respective side. How could she choose? Both her mind and her heart had good points, but very different consequences. She finally shouted at the top of her lungs. "JUST SHUT UP!"

Cassim tilted his head and raised an eyebrow. "Pardon?"

"S-sorry…" She shook her head and brought her hands back down, taking a few deep breaths. "Cassim, you're really offering to help me?"

"Call it a business transaction." He tossed the pouch up and down in his hand, the jingling sounds of the seashells and munny colliding with each other echoing through the cavern.

_Sora...this could be our best chance…_ Kairi thought as she placed a hand over her pounding heart. She had never felt more conflicted in her entire life. "If I help you, you'll give me my lucky charm, and you let me ask the Oracle what I need to know?"

"You strike a hard bargain, but I'll accept your price. So, are you in, or out?"

Kairi paused, taking a deep breath. She thought about Sora. She thought about the possibility that she could be wasting her time and how there was possibly an entirely different way to go about this. She thought about how just the wisdom of the Oracle could mean saving Sora much sooner than anyone anticipated. Kairi curled her hand into a fist and turned to face Cassim, who stood there, with his arms crossed, patiently awaiting Kairi's answer.

"I'm in…"

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

The next morning, everyone was up and ready to return to Agrabah early. Travelling with Cassim was...interesting, as Kairi would've put it. He insisted that Aladdin travelled on horseback rather than by the carpet, which ended up making the trip back to the city last all the more longer, despite Kairi and the girls taking the carpet. All while Kairi was feeling secretly anxious about her and Cassim's plan. Was this really as good of an idea as Cassim was making it out to be? What if this "Oracle" wasn't even real? What if it was just another piece of common treasure and Cassim was just using her so he had a lesser chance of being caught by the palace guards? Then again, the Oracle had to be the real deal if Cassim chose _her _out of all three of the girls.

Xion, on the other hand, had kept an eye on Kairi during the trip home. Something inside of her was sensing something strange. She couldn't put her finger on it, and confronting Kairi was the last thing Xion wanted to do when there was a chance that it could turn out to be nothing and that she was just unnecessarily paranoid. In her defense, Sora would've been the same way, maybe even more. What helped her case was the fact that Kairi was very quiet during the entire carpet ride back to Agrabah. While she wasn't the biggest chatterbox, Kairi not talking usually meant something was wrong.

Once everyone had (finally) arrived at the palace, it seemed like a huge wave of relief passed through each member of the party. Aladdin was happy to be back home so he and Jasmine could have their wedding, Kairi and the girls were glad to be out of the desert again, and Cassim, well, he didn't know what to think. For many years, he wondered what life at the palace would be like, just like his son. Now, it was really happening. His son was marrying the princess and he was there to witness it. Or so, everyone thought he was as he discarded his typical blue thief cape and dressed himself in a newer, more appropriate outfit.

Over in Aladdin's room, he brushed off his father's shoulders as he gave a nod of approval on the new clothes. Genie was a big help in creating a new outfit, despite being thrown off by Cassim's status as the King of Thieves, initially when the two of them had met earlier. Even Kairi, as much as she hated to admit it, thought he looked pretty good.

"Ladies, how does he look?" Aladdin asked, presenting Cassim.

Xion threw her arms behind her head. "He looks snappy!"

"Jasmine will be impressed!" Naminé complimented.

Genie snickered. "I knew binge-watching Extreme Makeover would come in handy!"

Cassim growled and shook his head. "What was wrong with the clothes I was wearing before?"

"Because when you're here, you're _not _the King of Thieves, you're my dad." Aladdin answered, placing his hands on Cassim's shoulders.

Cassim sighed. "Yet, I'm a better thief."

Kairi couldn't help but sympathize with Cassim and the pressure he was facing. While she still wasn't the most fond of him, she didn't have it in her to not at least feel something.

"Cassim, relax." She said placing a hand on his shoulder. "Just follow Aladdin's example. He's a good kid."

Aladdin looked over and smiled at Kairi. "Thanks, Kairi. This wouldn't have been possible without your help."

Kairi simply nodded in reply. "Aladdin, why don't you go guys go find Jasmine and we can meet you there?"

"Everything okay?" Naminé asked.

"Y-yeah. I just...need to talk to Cassim alone."

Xion's eyebrows knotted as she stepped closer to Kairi. "Are you sure everything's okay? You've been acting funny since we left this morning." She asked, lowering her voice to a whisper.

"Yes, I'm fine, really. I just need to talk to Cassim alone. It's...about Sora." Kairi responded with a sigh, slight agitation in her tone.

"Alright…" Xion stepped away with hesitation. She turned back and looked towards Aladdin. "Let's go find Jasmine."

"Okay, are we gonna go find this rod or what?" Kairi asked as they began walking down the hall in the opposite direction.

Cassim snickered and crossed his arms. "Quite hasty, I see."

"Look, I didn't even want any part of this to begin with, but I'm doing it for Sora. So, I want to get this done and out of the way, okay?"

Iago scoffed. "I say next time, we bring the blonde with us…"

Kairi rolled her eyes. "Can you just show us where it is? You're the one who knows where it is."

"Okay! Okay!"

Iago began flying down the hall and led Kairi and Cassim through the palace. The guards didn't seem to be on duty. Or if they were, they weren't doing a very good job. Luckily for Iago and Cassim, the treasure room was only one floor down and in a back corner. Unfortunately for Kairi, this meant she had less time to think this over. The closer they got, the more her palms began to sweat and the harder it became to drag her feet across the floor.

The treasure room lived up to its name. Kairi was able to peek inside and took notice that just one or two items would be enough to pay for her future college tuition. She shook off the thought immediately when her eyes scrolled across and locked on the gold rod that was perched in the center of the room and had a green emerald attached to it.

"So, that's the Rod of the Oracle?" Kairi asked.

"You'd be correct, my dear."

Iago flew right by Kairi's shoulder. "Go on, kid! What are you waiting for?"

She placed both of her trembling hands on the door. "The doors are locked."

Cassim crossed his arms. "Might be a good time to put that key of yours to good use."

Kairi summoned her Keyblade and held it towards the lock. "Wait, why am I going in to fetch the rod? _You _are the one who needs it." 

"Because you are the last person they would expect to steal the rod. Now, be quick."

Kairi felt her heart pounding against her chest and her stomach felt like it was running a marathon. Was she about to do this? Maybe it wasn't too late to turn back. Kairi hesitated and looked back at an impatient looking Cassim and Iago, waiting for her to unlock the doors. It was too late, she had already agreed to their deal. Kairi sighed and held out her Keyblade towards the lock, a beam of light shooting out and unlocking it.

A small gasp escaped her mouth as Kairi watched the doors crack open slightly. Her arms extended towards the door before retreating back. Could she really go through with this? Even if she unlocked the door, it didn't mean she had to actually open them, run in, grab the Oracle, and essentially betray her friends' trust. Yet, one thought continued to haunt Kairi. It was the only reason she was doing this. The Oracle _does _know all. She would know exactly how to save Sora.

Kairi took a deep breath as she placed her hands on the door's handles, and pushed them hard, causing the treasury to open. She wanted to get this over with before debating whether to chicken out again or not. Her boots clapped against the hard floor and echoed in the room as she jogged over to where the rod was perched. While the average joe would've been tempted to just steal everything in the treasury, Kairi stuck to her guns and kept her eyes focused on the only thing Cassim was after. She stared at her uneasy reflection in the emerald atop the rod before beginning to reach out for it. She could've sworn she saw Sora appear in front of her and gently hold her wrist from going any further.

**Don't do this...**

"Sora...I'm doing this for _you_, for _us_." Kairi argued as she After this, I'll be-"

"Heading straight for the dungeon." Razoul declared as he appeared from behind.

"Oh no!" She gasped.

Kairi crouched down to her battle stance, ready to defend herself from him. Cassim immediately rushed in, grabbing a sword from the treasure pile and ready to back her up.

Razoul snickered. "We've been expecting you."

The plan of attacking the guards was thrown out the window as Kairi looked around and noticed what looked like an army of guards armed with bows and arrows aimed at her from above. She didn't take into consideration that the guards would bring backup. She should've remembered that the guards had their eye on her after the incident when they first arrived in the harem girl outfits. With all arrows pointed at her and Cassim, Kairi had no choice but to admit defeat. She held her head low in disappointment as she dismissed her Keyblade. She knew very well that this was a bad idea and she chose to ignore her better judgement. Now, she had to pay the price for it.

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"Are you sure you ladies won't stay for the wedding?" Jasmine asked. Aladdin, Xion, and Naminé were able to track her down in the throne room and chose to wait there for Kairi and Cassim to meet them.

Naminé folded her hands. "We'd love to, but Kairi may be ready to move on."

"What's the rush?" Aladdin asked.

"Yeah, what's the rush? Got a pizza you gotta deliver within thirty minutes or it's free?" Genie asked.

"It's not that." Xion said shaking her head. "It's...kinda hard to say, but...where's Kairi? She needed to talk to Cassim alone, but that shouldn't have taken this long."

Aladdin nodded. "I'm starting to get worried about my dad too. Genie, can you track them down?"

"I hope they didn't get lost." Jasmine said with concern.

Genie scoffed and made a GPS device appear in his hand. "I knew GPS was never any good at giving direction!"

"Good point, Jasmine. Genie, can you go find them?"

"I'll sniff 'em out!" Genie transformed into a dog that looked very similar to King Mickey's dog, Pluto, and began sniffing around the room. "I'll need a piece of clothing, hair, or a shoe!"

Genie did a double take before realizing who the owner of the shoe was. He let out a gasp as his eyes darted up and noticed Cassim, who was cuffed and being held by Razoul. Little did they know that the situation was only about to get worse, for Kairi and Iago were not to be seen at this moment, but they were in just as much trouble as Cassim was.

"Huh?" Aladdin gasped along with everyone else.

Jasmine stepped forward. "Razoul, what's going on here?"

"Princess, meet your future father-in-law, The King of Thieves!" Razoul sneered as he held Cassim up by the back of his clothes.

Xion summoned her Keyblade, followed by Naminé. "Release him, Razoul! He's with us!"

"Dad!" Aladdin rushed towards his father only to be blocked by a couple other guards.

"Release him at once, Razoul!" Jasmine ordered.

Razoul held up the Rod of the Oracle for everyone to see. "Are you sure you want to release him when he was after _this _again?"

"No...it can't be." Naminé muttered softly.

"And _these _are his accomplices!"

From around the corner, two more guards stepped forward revealing both Iago and Kairi, chained up and arrested.

"Kairi?" Everyone gasped.

Iago scoffed. "Oh sure, everyone is worried about the redhead!"

"Razoul, there has to be a misunderstanding, Kairi is _not _a criminal!" Xion argued.

Naminé also stepped forward. "I know her heart and she would never-"

"Save your breath, girls." Kairi cut Naminé off, her tone saddened and guilty. "I helped Cassim steal the Oracle." She confessed, earning gasps from both of her friends.

"Kairi…" Jasmine muttered.

Aladdin's face lowered into a scowl, full of anger, pain, and betrayal. "Now I know why you _really _came back, Dad. I thought you would've changed by now."

"You can change my clothes, but can't change who I am." Cassim said, disappointed.

"And _you_…" Aladdin stepped towards Kairi, glaring towards her.

Kairi looked into Aladdin's eyes, a lump forming in her throat. "Aladdin, I'm sorry…" She choked out.

"I don't understand! How could you betray our trust like this? I thought you were better than that!" He vented, every comment sending uncomfortable shivers down Kairi's spine. "What would Sora say if he saw you like this?"

"SORA IS NOT HERE AND IT'S BECAUSE OF ME!" Kairi shouted, tears forming in her eyes.

"What?" Aladdin and Jasmine both asked, shocked looks on their faces.

"Sora sacrificed his life for me, and because of it, he has completely vanished from our world..." She muttered softly, tears running down her face. "That's why I tried to help Cassim, okay? I did it for Sora, but…" Kairi fell down to her knees, her entire body shaking. "But now, it doesn't even matter. I screwed up and now, it's too late for both of us…"

Xion frowned at the situation at bay. "Kairi…"

Naminé scowled and looked towards Iago. "And _you_! How could you?"

"Oh please! Not the guilt again! Don't hit me with the guilt again like that Sora kid did!" Iago pleaded as he shut his eyes and shook his head.

"I thought you were supposed to be our friend, Iago! I trusted you!" Naminé looked down at Kairi with hurt and disappointment in her face. "Kairi, why didn't you ask us for help?"

"I...I'm...sorry…" Kairi muttered softly, holding her head low.

Aladdin looked over towards Xion and Naminé, a mixture of anger, sadness, and betrayal spread across his face.

"You both knew, didn't you? You both knew what happened to Sora?" He asked, raising his voice. Xion and Naminé looked at each other helplessly before nodding. "I can't believe you guys hid that from us!"

"Just like you hid that your father was The King of Thieves from me?" Jasmine asked as she placed a hand on Aladdin's shoulder, a hint of disappointment in her voice. "You knew all along, didn't you?"

Aladdin, feeling the brunt of Jasmine's disappointment, sighed heavily and held his head low. "I thought I could change him. I had to try."

Razoul exhaled deeply, impatiently awaiting his orders from Jasmine. "Princess, what should be done with _these criminals_?"

Jasmine thought for a moment. Technically, she didn't have the power to sentence anybody since that was her father's job. She wasn't even sure how to handle the situation. Not only was Aladdin's father's fate on the chopping block, but Kairi also got manipulated into taking part in this criminal act. Jasmine didn't want to have to sentence either one of them since Kairi was her friend and she knew she had a good heart, while Cassim was going to be part of her family soon. She also had her duties as a princess to take into consideration. It was times like this that made Jasmine wish she wasn't part of royal bloodline all the more.

"Razoul, I order you to release Kairi." Jasmine ordered. "The other two are to be imprisoned in the dungeon for now. I will leave the decision of their sentence to my father."

Kairi gasped as the guards begrudgingly released her from her cuffs. She ran her hand up and down her wrist, feeling relieved that they weren't being crushed by the iron cuffs. After sighing in relief, Kairi looked back and watched Cassim and Iago be carried off towards the dungeon. Her body shuddered from overwhelming fear and relief, even with Naminé and Xion coming over to comfort their friend. No matter what anyone could do in that moment, Kairi couldn't deny that her mind and her heart were both in the wrong spot.

"Naminé...Xion...I screwed up…" Kairi softly whispered.


	11. The Prince of Thieves

Chapter 11: The Prince of Thieves

The aura within the palace suddenly began to feel uneasy within everyone following the arrest of Cassim. It wasn't just the arrest everyone had to deal with it. There was heavy weight and consequences behind it. Aladdin's father had betrayed his son and everyone that trust him, even Kairi, who thought he was confident that this plan would be successful. For a split second, she thought there was a caring and sympathetic side to Cassim and that he really did want to help her. If anything, it opened her eyes to how emotionally vulnerable she was and how it was easy to manipulate her.

"Okay, now that we're all alone, let's talk this out." Jasmine said, hints of disappointment in her voice. She looked down at Kairi, a firm look on her face. "Kairi, I'm _very _disappointed in you."

Kairi sighed, not being able to look at anybody. "I know…" Her voice shook as she tried to hold back tears. "I'm sorry...I just...I don't what I'm doing…" She hid her face as tears fell down her face. "I just miss him, you guys…"

Naminé and Xion exchanged sympathetic looks with each other before sitting by her and placing their hands on her back. "Come on, Kairi. Look alive! It's gonna be okay! Naminé and I turned out okay in the end, so anything is possible." Xion warmly said, despite the insecurity in her voice.

"Genie…" Kairi whispered before looking up at him with desperate eyes. "Genie! You have magic powers!" She ran over to him, wrapping her arms around his large body. "Please! There has to be something you can do! Can't you just bring him back?"

Genie sighed, his heart feeling heavy for not only the disappearance of one of his companions, but over Al's distress and Kairi's heartbreak. "Oh Kairi, if only I could. There are just some wishes that even I can't grant." He softly said as he hugged her. "Besides, even if I could, who's to say he'd be the same Sora? Magic isn't as simple as it seems."

Kairi softly cried. "I've just feltl...so empty…" She hook her head. "Maybe I really am worthless without him."

Aladdin sighed and turned his face away. "I just don't see why you couldn't tell us the truth...and why didn't you warn us about my father? You just went along with it."

Jasmine, starting to feel sympathetic towards Kairi's feelings, placed a hand on Aladdin's shoulder. "Aladdin, I know how you feel, but now's not the time to be blaming anybody for this situation. We have to look at the now and what needs to be done."

"Jasmine, I don't want to hear it, and I don't need anybody's sympathy right now."

Xion frowned and stood up, running in front of Jasmine as if she were defending her. "Hey, give her a break? At least she's _trying _to keep this under control. Unlike you, you're only acting like a spoiled child!" She yelled.

"You know nothing about me and where I came from!"

"Maybe, but I know how it feels to come from _nothing_. To feel like nobody cares about you! And the most memorable thing about you is an offensive nickname!" Xion argued, feeling a lump form in her throat.

Aladdin growled as he stepped closer towards Xion. "At least your own father didn't betray you!"

"Try having to betray your own best friends for the well-being of someone you barely know and feeling like you have no purpose in the world!"

Naminé ran between the two and held her arms out. "Wait everyone! Let's calm down. We don't need to upset anyone else!"

"Naminé's right." Jasmine said stepping up with her. "We've all made mistakes. We just need to discuss-" 

"Jasmine, I don't wanna hear this!" Aladdin snapped before brushing past her and towards the palace exit.

Jasmine jogged towards him. "Wait! Where are you going?"

"I need some air...just leave me alone…"

"Aladdin…"

Naminé and Xion ran up to Jasmine. "Where is he going?" Naminé asked.

"Probably to where he once lived before we met. He always goes there when he's upset or needs time alone." Jasmine placed a hand over her heart. "But this time...something doesn't feel right."

Xion sighed and shook her head. "Boys can be dumb like that sometimes. I should know. I live with three of them. He'll come around."

"No…I feel like our connection's weakening…"

"Jasmine…" Naminé exchanged a permitting look with Xion. "Why don't we go after Aladdin and keep an eye on him? Maybe go talk to him?"

Xion, as much as she didn't want to have anything to do with Aladdin at the moment, reluctantly nodded in agreement, but only because she was going it for Jasmine.

"I'd appreciate that a lot, but you two might have a hard time finding him." Jasmine agreed with a hopeful smile. "Genie, can you go with them? I'll look after Kairi while you three go." 

"You got it, Jasmine!" Genie proudly agreed. He suddenly shifted into a general and stood straight with his arms crossed at the exit. "Okay ladies! Let's hop to it! Hup two! Hup three! Hup four! We've got a soldier out there and no man gets left behind!" He called out as Xion and Naminé simply walked past him.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Aladdin took off running out of the palace and into the marketplace. He had thought he had experienced it all, until this very day, the day he lost his father and found out that one of his best friends was in a worse situation than he thought, and not through pure honesty. At this point, he didn't know who he could trust. Even Jasmine, for in his eyes, Aladdin partially felt like she was somewhat taking Kairi's side in this whole situation. The last time he felt this alone was back when he was a small boy living in the streets all alone. In a way, reliving those memories was less painful than living the lie and betrayal he felt from his friends and family now. At least as a child, Aladdin was still too young to understand complicated adult emotions.

Taking one last look back at the palace, Aladdin began to ascend up to the hideout he and Abu once vacated during previous years. It was the place where every night, he would stare at the palace and wonder what that lifestyle was like. He seemed so sure of what he wanted at the time, and now that he had it and more, Aladdin couldn't help but wonder if this type of life was really for him, whether he truly belonged in the life of a princess, or if he truly was destined to follow in his father's footsteps and become the same man he was. Aladdin sat down and gazed at the palace, wishing deep down that the answers to his questions were clear cut. The truth was that they were, but he didn't want to admit it.

"Everything was perfect until _he _came into my life…" Aladdin muttered softly. He sighed and stared down to the ground. "Sora...is that why Jasmine and I have both felt a certain emptiness inside of us?" He groaned. "I just don't understand how Kairi could've hidden something like that from us?

"Of all the people to let you down, your old man?" A cocky voice echoed from around the corner.

Aladdin grabbed a dagger from beside him and held it out. "Who are you? Show yourself!"

"Whoa! Whoa! Take it easy! The name's Xigbar! Just wanna talk, you know?" He explained, waving his hands in front of him. "You seem to be rather..._tense_."

"You could say that…"

"Can't blame ya!" Xigbar stepped closer, still with his hood up, and rested his arm against Aladdin's shoulder. "You trusted the old dude...thought he actually had a heart…"

Aladdin shook his head and stepped away, his back to Xigbar. "The Oracle was right. My father was trapped in the world of The Forty Thieves...trapped by his own greed." He groaned and threw the sword on the ground. "I was so stupid to think I could change him."

Xigbar shrugged his shoulders. "It really is your fault, you know? You think just because you're the exception that every thief in the world can be reformed?"

"I guess maybe not _everyone _deserves a second chance."

"And to add insult to injury," Xigbar said with a chuckle. "One of your best friends is missing and you had to find out second-handedly. From his grieving girlfriend that betrayed your trust, no less!"

Aladdin gritted his teeth. "I expected better from her! She claims to be a Princess of Heart when she's no better than my father!" He sighed heavily and held his head low. "I guess it's what I deserve for trusting others easily."

"Tell me about it!" Xigbar slipped his fingers underneath the hem of his hood and only lifted it slightly enough for Aladdin to see one golden eye underneath, eliciting a slight gasp from the boy. "That's what cost me half by eyesight." He paced back and forth, his arms crossed. "'Respect your elders!' They all say! 'They know what's best!' Well, tell that to the two of us that got played hardcore by our elders!"

"My father definitely doesn't know what's best...My life was so much easier without him in it…"

"The more connections the heart has, the more tangled it gets in a web of lies. There's one simple way to fix your 'Daddy issues'."

Aladdin looked behind him. "How…?" He darkly asked.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"I hope Aladdin's not too angry with us…" Naminé said with hope in her voice. They had been walking in the marketplace for a few miles, mostly in silence. It seemed that even Genie was tense with this whole situation.

Xion, not in the best of moods, groaned and threw her hands behind her head. "I think Aladdin being angry with us is the least of our problems. He shouldn't have yelled at Jasmine like that. He was also being really harsh with Kairi. She obviously felt bad about the whole situation and he doesn't seem to care."

Genie shook his head with a smile. "Oh I wouldn't worry too much about Al. If he was really that angry, he would've signed up for The Jerry Springer Show by now." He poofed into a Jerry Springer lookalike and held a mic. **"So tell me Al, why are you here?" **_"Well Jerry, I'm here because my father is a dirty liar who used MY WEDDING DAY to steal one of MY WEDDING GIFTS. Oh yeah, and get this, one of my best friends is MISSING and I had to find out from HIS GIRLFRIEND!"_

Xion placed her hands on her hips and frowned. "Genie!" She scolded him.

"It's a joke!" Genie laughed sheepishly. "I do that."

As they approached Aladdin's house, Xion looked ahead and saw a suspicious-looking figure approaching them. He was clad in the same blue cape that Cassim had once worn during his time in The Forty Thieves. Instinctively, Xion held her arm out in front of Naminé. _That's impossible! I thought Cassim was in the dungeon! _Xion thought to herself. She studied the face, specifically his eyes. Having been in the Organization for a year, Xion had learned to be able to identify someone under a good based on their eyes and the shape of their face looked noticeably younger compared to Cassim's aged face. _Wait a second, that's not Cassim. Is that..._

Xion lowered her arm. "Aladdin? Is that you?" She asked, not receiving an answer from him.

"Al! Oh buddy, thank goodness! Jasmine's worried sick about you!" Genie exclaimed as he watched Aladdin approach him with a deadpan expression on his face. "Al?" He asked, scratching his head. "Buddy?"

Naminé stepped forward. "Aladdin? Are you okay?"

"Tonight, the King of Thieves will make have his greatest escape…" Aladdin sinisterly said as he unsheathed his dagger. "From my life…"

"Al! Buddy! Where you-"

"Genie! Look out!" Xion cried out. She dashed forward and held her Keyblade out as Aladdin whipped around in a flash of a second and swung his dagger. She managed to block his attack, and pushed back, sending Aladdin stumbling back. "That is not Aladdin…" Xion mumbled, shooting a glare towards him. She focused in on his eyes and noticed something strange. They weren't brown like they normally were. Instead, they glowed a golden yellow and he seemed to have a much darker demeanor to him as the shadows that were cast on his face by his shaggy hair were darker. "No…" Xion gasped. "It can't be…" She muttered, recognizing the golden eyes.

Aladdin huffed as he sheathed his dagger. "You're not worth my time, but anyone who gets in my way, will forfeit their lives to the Prince of Thieves." He declared as he marched off into the marketplace and towards the palace, ignoring his distressed friends.

"Al…" Genie sighed hopelessly.

"This is not good…" Naminé softly said as she placed a hand to her chest. "We need to warn Kairi and Jasmine!" She cried out as she pulled out her gummiphone.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

_**I finally told Jasmine everything, not really having much of a choice. I told her what all had happened. The Keyblade War, Xehanort's defeat, and your sacrifice. I also brought up that Riku hadn't fared better either. I thought it would be hard to talk about it, but the more open I was with Jasmine, the better I started to feel. It was almost as if I had this huge burden on my shoulders and it was being lifted. **_

"I slept for a whole year, hoping my heart would reveal a clue to Sora's appearance, but the only thing that came from it was a dream about a world made of sea and sky. Ever since I woke up…I've just felt empty inside." Kairi softly said, sitting comfortably in Jasmine's chamber and finishing up her story with her.

Jasmine sighed. "I knew something had happened. I could feel it too." She rested a hand over her heart. "I thought it had something to do with you or Sora, but I just didn't want to think or believe the worst."

"Unfortunately, it's the worst that has happened…" She crossed her arms and held her head low. "I don't even know what I'm doing. Who am I kidding? I barely even know how to fight with a Keyblade. How am I supposed to accomplish something this irrational?"

"I'll admit, it does sound a little...how do I explain it?"

Kairi crossed her arms. "Impossible?"

"But impossible doesn't mean miracles can't happen." Jasmine reassured the discouraged redhead. "My life has changed drastically in the last couple years, and I never once thought it was possible that it would end up like this." She frowned and put her hands on her hips. "I thought I was going to be a princess that stayed trapped behind these palace walls, married to some overly stuffed conceited prince, just trying to keep to my father's law." Her frowned faded and formed into a soft smile. "Now, everything is different, for the better." Kairi couldn't help but tilt her head in confusion, trying to understand Jasmine's point. "What I'm trying to say, is don't lose ever lose hope."

"Hope…" Kairi muttered to herself.

Jasmine placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "Think about all the times Sora thought he couldn't keep going. He still pushed himself. He pushed himself for his friends, for the worlds, for _you_."

"He never gave up hope…"

"**Kairi!"**

With what appeared to be a flash of light, Kairi suddenly found herself flying through the darkness and through a ray of light. Where this ray of light was leading her, she didn't have a clue.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

_The familiar sight and scents of a tropical island started to overwhelm Kairi's senses as she found herself floating in the middle of Destiny Islands. It wasn't just Destiny Islands though. She looked down at the sound of laughing children coming from below her. Indeed they were, but what kept her attention, was that one of these children were her at a younger age, closer to six years old. The younger Kairi was looking rather discouraged while the boy next to her, obviously a younger Sora, which Kairi could recognize just by his spiky hair and blue eyes, ran over to her with a determined look on his face. _

_Kairi recognized this memory. It was when she was learning how to ride a bike for the first time without training wheels. She remembered it almost too well. She saw the pink bike with the white basket, herself being bundled up with a helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads, and remembered how stubborn Sora was during this time in not letting her give up. It seemed like ever since this day, Kairi became more and more stubborn about not giving up when she faced anything difficult, especially in school. _

_**You never stopped believing in me...just like I never stopped believing in you.**_

"_Come on, Kairi! You have to try again!" Sora urged._

_Kairi crossed her arms and shook her head, pouting. "No! I can't do it! I'll never learn!"_

"_But then you can't ride bikes with me and Riku!"_

"_Then I'll walk or run!"_

"_Aww that's no fun!" Sora walked over and picked up the bike. "Come on, please try again!"_

"_I'll just fall off again!"_

"_But Kairi!" He whined. "Please try again! For your bestest friend in the whole wide world?"_

_Kairi sighed. "If I try again, will you not let go?"_

_Sora chuckled proudly and saluted. "No problem, m'lady!"_

_Kairi reluctantly too the bike in her grasp and began to swing her leg over to hope back on. Deep down, she really didn't want to try again. She had already been trying for the past hour and was over it. Yet, Sora always seemed to have at that effect on her. Was it the charming personality that he always seemed to exert when he was around her? Kairi took one look at his bright smile and sparkling eyes. Nah, it was definitely the natural puppy dog eyes that Sora didn't have to make much effort to use. _

"_Don't let go, Sora!" Kairi pleaded._

"_I promise, I'll never let go!" He said flashing a wide smile before resting a hand on her shoulder. "I won't let you get hurt, Kairi."_

_After shooting her one more reassuring smile, Sora placed a hand on one of the handlebars. Kairi swallowed the lump in her throat before putting her feet to the pedals and beginning to push on them. What started off as slow pedaling turned into smooth cruising as she began to pick up the speed. Sora kept an eye on her the whole time, making sure she wasn't scared. As soon as he saw how confident she looked, Sora removed his hand from the handlebar and let Kairi take control. She softly gasped at first only to be immediately calmed as she noticed that she was pedaling and riding the bike without his help._

"_Hey! I'm doing it! Sora! I'm doing it!" Kairi cried out in happiness._

_Sora pumped a fist in the air and jumped. "Way to go, Kairi!"_

"_Wow! I actually did it, Sora!" She laughed as she came to a stop. _

"_I knew you could do it!"_

_Kairi smiled sweetly, blushing slightly. "Thanks, Sora."_

"_You can do anything, Kairi! I'll always believe in you!" He held out his pinky to her. "It's a promise!"_

"_And I'll always believe in you too, Sora!" She held out her pinky, allowing the two to lock._

_Kairi kept her eyes fixated at the two children as one of them, her younger self started to fade away. The young Sora lingered for a little bit, before he slowly turned to face Kairi, his younger self slowly forming into his older, current form. Kairi involuntarily gasped as her heart skipped beats at the sight that she had not seen in a year. She instinctively reached forward as if she were trying to grab hold of of him, only for him to start fading away after sending her his famous smile that always helped push her to keep fighting. _

_-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-_

With a flash of light, Kairi found herself back inside of Jasmine's chamber. She took a moment to gather her thoughts and return back to reality, _her _reality. It was a reality without Sora, a reality she couldn't live in for much longer. Kairi had yet to realize that she had two options. She could either continue to hope for a miracle, or she could keep going and try to make her own miracle.

"Kairi?" Jasmine asked, noticing that she had spaced out a little. "Are you alright?"

Kairi smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'll be okay." Her relieving thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of her phone buzzing. "Somebody's calling?" She took it out of her pouch and answered. "Naminé?" Kairi answered as soon as she saw Naminé pop on the screen.

"Kairi! We have a problem! It's Aladdin!"

Jasmine gasped, scooting closer and looking down into the screen. "What's wrong with him?"

"This might sound crazy, but I think the darkness is consuming him!" Xion explained with concern in her voice.

"What?" Both girls asked.

Xion's eyes darted between on and offscreen. "He tried to attack Genie, and he looks like he's moving towards the palace!"

"I think he's gonna try and kill Cassim!" Naminé warned.

Jasmine's eyebrows knotted. "No, that sounds so unlike him."

"That's why we think he's been consumed by darkness." Xion said with an affirmative nod.

Kairi sighed. "His heart isn't in the right place. If he kills Cassim, he'll regret it." She stood up and looked towards Jasmine. "I have to go try to stop him. Xion, Naminé, try and do the best you can to hold him off until I get there!"

"Okay, we're in the marketplace! Hurry!" Naminé pleaded before hanging up the phone.

Kairi nodded as she placed her phone in her pouch. "Don't worry, Jasmine. We're gonna get this all sorted out and bring him back!"

"I'm coming with you!" Jasmine ordered as she shot up from her seat.

"But Jas-"

"Aladdin has risked his life for me numerous times, now it's my turn to try and save him…"

Kairi's jaw dropped slightly as a very familiar aura seemed to fill the room. She saw her same motivation behind Jasmine's eyes and couldn't have been more supportive in this time. She smiled confidently and crossed her arms. "It might be dangerous."

"I was captured once too. I'm ready for anything, including risking my life for the man I'm about to marry."

"Okay then, but stay close."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Aladdin had taken off in a fleeting sprint with Xion and Naminé chasing after him. Genie, on the other hand, had the plan to try and cut him off. He hated the idea of having to hunt down Aladdin like a criminal, but the harsh fact that he nearly hurt Genie meant that he was dangerous right now and that meant Kairi and Jasmine could be in just as much danger. Thankfully with Genie being the magical shapeshifter he was, it didn't take anything more than a few clones of him splitting up to track Aladdin down. He was approaching rather close to the palace gates by the time he was found, a little too close to Jasmine and Kairi.

Genie and his clones cornered Aladdin against the wall at the gates. As much as it hurt to do so, he aimed a finger and shot a lightning spell towards him. Aladdin grunted in pain as the lighting bolts wrapped around him, paralyzing him in place. Lucky for Xion and Naminé, Genie's magic was strong enough that it could hold Aladdin in place no problem, regardless of how much he struggled to escape. Genie shot up a firework signaling Xion and Naminé that Aladdin was caught and gave away their location. The girls caught onto Genie's signal and ran towards the palace, catching up to the guys and ready to back Genie up.

"Stop it, Aladdin!" Xion yelled as she caught up and stood in a defensive stance in front of Genie and Naminé.

Aladdin struggled in Genie's paralysis spell. "Ugh! Let me go!"

"No! You're only going to make a mistake!"

"I said...let...me...go!"

Aladdin's eyes glowed yellow as multiple Heartless started to surround the crew. Shadows began forming from the ground and crawling towards the girls while Bandits appeared on either side of Aladdin and a Fat Bandit appeared behind him, all ready to attack.

"Heartless!" Naminé exclaimed as she summoned her Keyblade.

Genie began twiddling his hands. "Ooh, I don't remember Al being able to summon Heartless! Is this the Final Mix edition?"

The Shadows began lunging towards the girls only for Xion to retaliate with a horizontal slash and for Naminé to attack vertically, followed by a Fire spell. As the Shadows continued to distract them, the Bandits saw this as the opportune moment to attack. While one attacked Xion, only to be blocked by her Keyblade, the other went after Naminé, only to be zapped away by a lightning spell from Genie. If there was one thing Genie was still capable of doing even after being freed from the lamp, he was able to use magic to defend his friends. Granted, he still couldn't kill anyone, but his magic worked well enough that Naminé could leap in and finish off the electrocuted Heartless.

Even with Genie's help, the Heartless seemed to continue materializing and appearing. It was plain clear that these Heartless were a result of Aladdin's darkness consuming his heart. Naminé was about to be knocked out by a Fat Bandit winding up its fist, ready to slug her across the fact. Thanks to Genie popping in front of her, he was able to deflect the attack and send the Heartless falling back. Xion, on the other hand, was doing pretty well holding herself over with the standard Bandits, but missed one that was doing a barrel roll towards her. Having been hit rather hard in the back, Xion felt the wind knocked out of her and fell to the ground. Naminé ran over to Xion and held up her Keyblade, casting a Cure spell on her and giving her the energy she needed to get back up on her feet.

With both girls getting worn out from the battle, Kairi managed to show up in the knick of time, her tears wiped, and feeling ready to fight for her friends.

"Hey girls! Am I late?" Kairi asked as she crouched into her battle stance.

Xion chuckled. "Nope! Right on time!"

"Pick on someone your own size, Heartless!"

"Naminé, that only works when the enemy is larger than you." Xion sighed as she shook her head.

Naminé pouted. "Hey! I'm learning to taunt!"

Kairi groans. "Girls, can we save this for trash talking 8-year-olds on computer games?"

With Kairi joining the battle, it made a huge difference. Even with her lack of experience, Kairi was a rather strong fighter and was always really good about looking out for her teammates. Naminé cast a Blizzard spell towards the Fat Bandit, freezing it and creating a trail of ice. Taking advantage of this, Kairi slid along the ice trail, jumping at the end and thrusting her Keyblade down at the Fat Bandit, finishing off what Naminé had started earlier. Xion faced off a couple of Bandits, playing on the more defensive side this time considering how easy it seemed the Heartless were taking her down. She managed to get the hang of blocking their sword attacks only to counter with a dodge and a harsh swing to the back.

Naminé and Kairi exchanged determined looks with each other, as if they had the same idea. The girls both joined together and twirled around while casting Water spells. Together, they looked like a decent sized whirlpool, soaking the surrounding Heartless. Taking into account the rules of water conducting electricity. Kairi had Naminé hop onto her hands and threw her up into the air. Now hovering over the swarm of Heartless, Naminé held her Keyblade up and cast a Thunder spell, the water attacking the lightning bolts and essentially wiping out the remaining Heartless. Xion heaved a sigh of relief before turning around and sharing a high-five with Kairi and Naminé. Another battle well done, except for one issue.

"Finally…" Aladdin mumbled as he broke free from Genie's spell.

Genie gasped as he whipped around and saw Aladdin sprinting away. "He's getting away!"

"Not on my watch!" Naminé sprinted forward and stuck her Keyblade straight up. "THUNDER!"

Naminé cast another Thunder spell towards Aladdin, hitting him in the back. Unlike Genie's spell, this one actually did a little damage to him, causing him to fall to the ground in pain. It was enough to leave him paralyzed for a minute and allow everybody else to catch up. By the time Aladdin shook off the attack and stood up, Genie, Jasmine, and the trio were all standing in formation and blocking him from proceeding any further.

"Move!" Aladdin yelled.

Kairi scowled and shook her head. "We're your friends, and we're here to help, so you're gonna have to get through all five of us first!"

"Fine, then which one should I take first? How about the useless blonde?"

"Hey! Leave her out of this!" Xion yelled as she ran in front of Naminé and held her Keyblade out in front of her friend.

Aladdin growled and unsheathed his dagger. "Get out of the way!"

"Aladdin, stop!" Jasmine ran forward and yelled.

"...What?" He asked, his mind seeming to drift back out for a second. "Jasmine?" Although his mind drifted for a second, he quickly shook his head and was back to his dark demeanor. "Don't get in my way, _Princess_!"

"Listen to her!" Kairi stepped forward and pleaded. "Listen to her heart!"

Aladdin drew his sword and leapt forward towards Kairi, their weapons colliding as she held up hers to defend herself. It wasn't easy considering how strong Aladdin was compared to her. Her legs shook as she put all her strength in using her legs to push him back.

"Either move out of the way, or I will _force _you out of the way!" Aladdin growled, leaning his face closer to Kairi's.

"Don't do this, please! Everything will be okay, Aladdin." Kairi softly said, a sudden calmness circulating throughout her body. Aladdin stopped, his mouth hanging slightly open, almost as if Kairi's calming aura was reaching him. "Please...we're here for you. We want to help you."

Aladdin stepped back, holding his head. The feeling of being torn between light and darkness felt like a knife piercing through his skull. He groaned in pain as he stumbled backwards. Kairi didn't dare step closer out of fear that he could snap at any second. She remembered this from when Xion struggled in The Keyblade Graveyard after their fight. She knew Aladdin was teetering between light and darkness, and his light was doing everything it could to fight back.

"Enough!" Aladdin yelled as he grabbed Jasmine into a headlock, holding the dagger close to her head. Her body began shaking as she saw the end of dagger slowly make its way towards her out of the corner of her eye. "Make one sudden move and you can say goodbye to your princess!"

"Jasmine!" Kairi cried, reaching her arm out with Xion and Naminé gasping behind her.

Jasmine struggled within his grip. "Aladdin! Please, you're hurting me!" She finally turned around and wrapped her arms around him. "Please, just stop! This isn't you!"

The sound of Jasmine's voice and her embrace seemed to be enough to suddenly snap Aladdin out of his dark thoughts. For a second there, it looked like his eyes were shifting between gold and brown. He was speechless, almost as if there was a strong power working within him. Kairi watched and knew exactly what was happening. Jasmine was Aladdin's light and her light was was pulling his heart out of the darkness. She thought back to the amount of times her light was used to bring Sora's heart out of the darkness. Aladdin's body had completely frozen, and the dagger that was once aimed towards Jasmine's head suddenly dropped from his hand and onto the ground.

"Jasmine…"

Kairi gasped as she watched Aladdin drop his arms limp and fall to the ground on his knees. Jasmine fell down to the ground with him, not letting him go. His tight embrace around her made him appear desperate to be as close to her as possible. It was an amazing sight to Kairi and the girls. Jasmine's light was truly working and saving him. Kairi almost got lost in the moment until she realized that the darkness was still within his heart, thanks to a little help.

**Kairi! Use the Keyblade! Free his heart!**

Kairi nodded affirmatively before hopping to her feet and shooting a beam of light out of her Keyblade and towards Aladdin's chest. Everyone watched as his body temporarily glowed and his eyes returned to their normal brown. A small dark entity seemed to float out of from within him, which Kairi managed to eliminate with one swipe of the Keyblade against it. Who'd have thought that the source of possessing Aladdin would be so weak?

"Hey! It worked!" Naminé cheered.

Xion pumped a fist in the air. "Aladdin's okay!"

"Aladdin? Are you alright?" Jasmine asked as she pulled away from the embrace to look at his face.

Aladdin's eyes began to water. "I can't believe it...I almost hurt you…" He pulled his princess back into another tight embrace. "I'm sorry…"

"It's okay, you're back, and that's the important thing."

Kairi smiled warmly at the embracing couple and stepped closer. "You okay, Aladdin?"

"Yeah, thank you, Kairi." Aladdin softly thanked her.

"Jasmine was the one who saved your heart, the light that pulled you from the darkness." Kairi said shaking her head. "I only sealed the deal with the Keyblade."

Jasmine stood up, helping Aladdin up off the ground. "We _all _saved you."

"Oh Al! You're back!" Genie exclaimed as he pulled Aladdin into a tight hug. "Don't ever scare me like that, ever again!"

"So, what happened, exactly?" Kairi asked.

_**Aladdin told us what happened that night after he left the palace. It turned out Jasmine's intuition was right. His heart had been drifting from the light and was susceptive to darkness. I shouldn't have been so surprised. Between being betrayed by his father (and me, to some extent), and finding out about your disappearance, it's no wonder the darkness nearly swallowed him. He also mentioned a guy with a black coat and a hood over his face talking to him before this happened. At the time, I knew we weren't going crazy when I saw that hooded stranger at the wedding. Now, it was just a matter of who it was.**_

"A guy with a black coat on…" Kairi muttered to herself.

"The Organization?" All three girls asked each other, concern in their voices.

Aladdin crossed his arms and looked over at Jasmine. "Didn't Sora mention a group like that the last time he was here?"

"They sound familiar."

Naminé sighed heavily and shook her head. "So we weren't just seeing things and going crazy?" Her voice shook with concern.

Xion stepped forward. "We saw someone in a black coat over by the palace after your wedding was crashed. If you saw someone as well, then this could be more serious than even we're aware of."

Aladdin placed a hand under his chin. "Why would he be after my father, though?"

"I don't think this guy was after your father…" Kairi stepped forward, a serious expression on her face. She placed her hand on his shoulder. "I think he was after _you_." Aladdin's eyebrows furrowed at the thought.

"Take it from someone who used to be one of their members." Xion said as she crossed her arms, scowling at the memories she was reliving. "Organization XIII had a way of attacking their targets from the inside to weaken them and then finishing them off with brute force."

Naminé nodded and placed her hands over her chest. "That was what they tried to do with Sora back at Castle Oblivion. They knew that Kairi was Sora's most precious person to him, and that he'd do anything to save her." Kairi softly gasped as she remembered back to when Naminé had told her about that in The World That Never Was when they were breaking out of the castle dungeon. "By having me replace Kairi in his memories, they could manipulate Sora into believing that I was his most precious person and was in danger."

"And then Sora would do whatever it took to save you…" Kairi finished for her.

"They definitely sound like bad news." Aladdin muttered. "We should look more into this 'Organization' that you girls have mentioned. We should take care of that in the morning."

Genie smiled and nodded. "Good plan, Al. It's been a long day."

With everyone in agreement, it was time to turn in for the night. It had been a long day and everybody, especially Kairi. The girls had one of the many guest rooms to vacate in for the night. It felt relieving that they were able to stop Aladdin and bring him back to his sense, yet Kairi could also feel the effects of the pressure that she was sure Sora always felt on his adventures. Having to travel to multiple worlds to seal keyholes in order to prevent them from falling to the darkness? How could _anyone _take a subject like that so lightly? Kairi sure couldn't. If the well-being of one person worried her, she could only imagine how much pressure Sora felt having to worry about the well-being of multiple worlds.

Kairi followed the rest of the girls towards the wing in the palace where the bedrooms were only to stop in her tracks when she noticed that Aladdin, who was walking behind her, had stopped. The lack of echoing footsteps was enough for her to turn around and allow her curiosity to overcome her. She noticed that Aladdin had turned and was staring out towards the hall that led towards the castle dungeon. He wasn't saying anything. According to Kairi's experience, that usually didn't mean good things. She waited for him to (hopefully) continue following them, but Aladdin had other plans. Instead, he began briskly walking in the direction he was looking. Kairi, despite their differences, was worried about why he was taking off, so she followed him.

"Aladdin?" Kairi asked catching up to him. "Aladdin! Where are you going?"

"I'm going to break my father out of the dungeon."

"Are you crazy? Why don't you just ask Jasmine to let him out?" 

"She's the one who sent him to the dungeon. Besides, if The Sultan already gave him his sentence, then they're not gonna budge at Jasmine's orders." Aladdin flipped the hood back over before beginning to walk out towards the dungeon.

Kairi ran out in front of Aladdin and held her arms out. "Hold it! I just got in trouble for trying to steal a treasure! How much trouble are you gonna get in for breaking a prisoner out?"

"They can't catch me. As long as I have this disguise, they'll think I'm my father." He snickered.

"Ugh…" She held her head low. "I don't wanna get involved because I know this is a bad idea, but you're my friend, and I care about you making out of this alive, so you're leaving me no choice but to help you out with this, aren't you?"

Aladdin flashed a cocky smile and crossed his arms. "I'm not asking you to do anything, but if you're volunteering, I guess I can't turn down the offer."

Kairi rolled her eyes as she began to follow Aladdin out towards the dungeon. "Now I see how Sora kept getting wrapped up in everyone's shenanigans…" She whipped around and began briskly walking out towards the dungeon. "Come on, Al. I'm already in trouble with the law here. How much more trouble can I possibly get into?"

Watching Kairi lead the way, Aladdin chuckled to himself and shook his head. "She even has the same spirit as you, Sora."

It wasn't too far of a walk to the palace dungeon. Kairi had never seen such an extravagant dungeon. It was multiple floors. In fact, there were three floors. Did Agrabah really have that high of a crime rate? Kairi couldn't help but compare it to the jail that was on Destiny Islands, which was only two floors and rather small. Granted, the crime rate on the island was quite low, much to Kairi's relief. The dungeon was also exactly as she had pictured it in the fantasy books she had read. It was dark, murky, and the only sign of life seemed to be the embers that were created from the burning torches that barely lit the walkway that Aladdin and Kairi both traveled.

"So, what's the plan?" Kairi asked.

Aladdin thought for a moment. "All we're gonna do is get the keys, free my dad, and then we're gonna distract the palace guards so he has a clear enough escape route."

"Or...we can save a step and I can use my Keyblade to unlock the door?"

"That could also work." He nodded in agreement. Aladdin followed closely behind as the two of them stepped slowly through the dungeon corridors. "You know, for a Princess of Heart, you sure seem to have a devious side, sneaking around like this." He teased.

Kairi snickered. "I'm a teenage girl who stays out past curfew. How else do you think I'm able to sneak back home without my parents noticing?"

"What's a curfew?"

"It's a time that parents enforce for teens to be home by at night."

Aladdin cringed. "That sounds rough."

"And you're faring any better?"

"Good point."

Traveling in the dungeon was more than just the casual walking that Kairi was used to. This time, she and Aladdin had to actually sneak and be cautious about every corner they turned. Unlike the treasure room where it was open an easy to spot where guards were, the halls in the dungeon were narrow, dark, and almost too quiet. Had there been any guards in their immediate area, they surely would've been spotted. They knew they were getting close to Cassim's cell based on the voices that echoed throughout. The closer they crept, the louder and more voices they heard. It seemed like all the guards were focusing their attention on Cassim's cell. Could Kairi really blame them considering they were dealing with the King of Thieves?

Kairi and Aladdin peeked around a corner, only to hop right back as Razoul came into view. Lucky for them, he looked bored out of his mind and most likely was staring off into space, not noticing them.

"Hmm, Razoul is right by the door…" Aladdin sighed with discouragement. "We're gonna have to get creative…"

Kairi put a hand under her chin. "Or maybe...we just need to use our resources." She picked up a rock and pulled out a hair tie from her pouch. "You boys seem to underestimate just how useful we ladies can be." She muttered as she pulled the elastic band back with the rock in its grip before releasing it and sending the rock flying all the way down the other side of the hall.

"W-Wha…?" Razoul snapped out of his daydream and peeked around the corner of where the noise was coming from. "Who dares infiltrate my dungeon?" He stomped off leaving the door completely unguarded.

"Perfect!" Kairi whispered proudly. "Come on!"

After jogging over to the cell door, Kairi summoned her Keyblade and used it to unlock it. It was one of the larger cells, obviously built to contain more than one criminal at a time. Yet, for some reason, Cassim had the honor of being imprisoned inside of it. Carefully opening the door, Kairi let Aladdin step in first. Cassim and Iago both looked up with surprised looks on their faces t the presence of their rescuers. Kairi hopped down from the ledge, Aladdin hopping down shortly after her. Cassim stood up, almost as if he were hopeful that they were were to break him and Iago out.

"I've come to say goodbye." Aladdin firmly said before letting Cassim get a word out.

Cassim stood up, a confused look on his face. "Why are you-?"

"We don't have much time." Kairi cut him off as she shot beams out of her Keyblade towards the keyholes of both Cassim and Iago's shackles.

Aladdin nodded in agreement. "While the guards chase us, you get out."

Without giving either one of them a chance to get another word out, Kairi finished freeing Cassim and Iago before following Aladdin out. She understood Aladdin's hostility towards his father and didn't want to have anything to do with him either, the only reason for her even setting Cassim free being out of a favor for a friend. After climbing back up the ledge, Kairi turned and got one more brief look at Cassim and Iago before following Aladdin out of the cell door.

"That wasn't too bad." Kairi whispered.

Unfortunately, a "surprise" awaited them right outside.

"YOU! It can't be…" Razoul sneered as he marched from around the corner with two guards behind him. "The King of Thieves!"

"We're toast!" Kairi whispered.

"That's my name!" Aladdin declared, suddenly lowering his voice an octave and grabbing Kairi in a tight grip.

One guard gasped. "He has that girl too!"

"He couldn't have escaped this cell!" The other guard panicked. "He's a demon!"

Aladdin pulled out his dagger and pointed it towards Kairi. "Take on step closer, and the girl gets it!"

"What're you doing?" Kairi asked, very confused and scared at the same time.

"Just play along. I'm trying to make you look like the victim here." He softly whispered.

"Uh...oh no! I'm...being kidnapped…!" Kairi 'played along', albeit pretty poorly, leaving the guards exchanging weirded out looks.

Aladdin groaned and just picked her up and ran, forcing the guards to chase after them. While Kairi was glad she didn't have to do any running to escape the guards, she was not amused being used as a damsel in distress. If anything, this felt worse to her than just being flat out captured. At least her captors were much taller and stronger than her and she hadn't stooped down to the level of faking it.

"Come on, Kairi! Haven't you ever played the 'damsel in distress' before?"

Kairi sighed annoyed. "No! I never _was _a damsel in distress, that's just what everyone likes to think! All because I was forced into a coma against my will!"

As they ran out of the dungeon and found themselves

"I think we have a bigger problem than the palace guards!" Aladdin grunted as he set Kairi down on the ground.

"Hmm…" She thought for a moment before summoning her Keyblade. "Well, we don't have a choice now. You need to keep the guards busy! I'll take care of the Heartless!"

"Good plan! When you're done with the Heartless, head back to the palace where you'll be safe, and I'll catch you later."

Kairi nodded in agreement as Aladdin ran off in the opposite direction, beginning climb up buildings. She crouched into a battle stance, and began swiping away at the small Shadow Heartless that began to lunge towards her, claws ready to attack her. As the Shadows continued to form from the ground and attack Kairi, the guards caught up to her.

"As if tonight could get any worse…" One guard mumbled as the three of them came to a stop at the Heartless.

Razoul growled and shoved through his guards. "Forget about those things! Where's the King of Thieves?"

"He went that way!" Kairi yelled pointing in a completely different direction than where Aladdin ran off to. "Get him boys! I'll hold off the Heartless!"

Kairi continued to lunge forward and attack the various Shadows that lunged at her from multiple angles. Unfortunately for her, with each swarm she wiped out, more just kept coming. Realizing that she was getting nowhere by killing these Shadows, Kairi decided to just open up an escape route for herself and took off running further into the marketplace. Aladdin did tell her to run off to the palace, but her natural concern had her wanting to track him down and make sure he's safe, considering the Heartless were causing trouble about.

The guards seemed to be splitting up in pursuit of Aladdin, so Kairi knew she had to get smart. If she was going to be on the run like a street rat, she was going to have to think like one. Kairi looked up and saw a clothesline holding some laundry up. It was in a perfect place too. She aimed her Keyblade at the clothesline and threw it like a boomerang, causing the clothesline to to snap and fall down to her level. After catching her Keyblade, Kairi dismissed it and began climbing the clothesline. _It's a good thing my upper body strength improved with my Keyblade training! _Kairi thought as she hauled herself up. She took a peek down and saw one of the guards scurrying about, desperate to catch Aladdin.

Just as Kairi had reached the top of the balcony of a building. She was able to heave a sigh of relief, but for long before Bandit Heartless appeared in front of her. _COME ON! CAN'T I GET A BREAK? _Kairi yelled in her mind as she summoned her Keyblade and immediately ran towards the Bandits. Her Keyblade clashed with a Bandit's sword before she slid out of the way of its attack and smacked it in the back. She managed to catch sight of one attacking her from behind and blocked the attack before sky uppercutting the Bandit into the air and jumping to finish it off by smacking it to the ground. _Hmph! I'm getting the hang of this! _She thought as she began running along the balcony, smacking her Keyblade against any Shadow Heartless that popped up in her way.

"Okay, I think that takes care of all-" Kairi gasped as she came face to face with not only the guards, but a still disguised Aladdin, who was lying on the ground helplessly.

"The King of Thieves, your charmed life is over, Your Majesty!" Razoul sneered as he lifted up his sword in an attempt to Aladdin off.

"No!" Kairi ran forward and blocked Razoul's sword, accidentally stepping on Aladdin's cape and causing the hood to fall, revealing his face to the guards.

"W-What? You!" Razoul yelled, his jaw hanging open.

Aladdin glared and curled his hands into fists, ready to defend himself. "Yes…" 

"And you were behind this too!" Razoul growled as one of the guards grabbed Kairi by the arm. "I always knew you were trouble the moment you stepped foot in Agrabah...and we'll see if the princess really wants _you_ in her family now!" He sneered towards Aladdin.

Much to their surprise, a figure appeared out of nowhere and tackled Razoul to the ground, freeing Kairi from his grasp and giving Aladdin a chance to escape. The bigger surprise was the one who saved them.

"Keep your hands off my boy!" Cassim growled at a knocked out Razoul. 

"Dad?"

"Cassim?" 

"Aladdin! Kairi! We have to hurry!"

Aladdin and Kairi exchanged agreed looks with each other before taking off from the guards. They sprinted through the marketplace and towards the gates to the city. If they could get out of the city, it would give them a chance to catch their breath. Once they were out of the city, the guards essentially had no power considering they weren't on Agrabah's grounds anymore. Lucky for them, the Heartless didn't seem to bother them, which only made their escape all the more easier in comparison to their escape from the palace dungeon.

The desert was massive and dark enough that the guards couldn't keep track of their location once they had gotten outside of the city's gates. Before reaching the dunes, Aladdin and Kairi stopped to catch their breath. Cassim was set on continuing, but decided to let them stop for a moment anyway.

"So, now what?" Kairi asked.

Cassim looked ahead. "If we keep moving, they won't be able to pick up our trail until daylight, and by then, we'll be long gone."

"Keep moving?" She asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

Aladdin scowled. "He wants us to run." He looked over at Kairi, a firm look on his face. "I can't leave Agrabah."

"Al! Come on! What are you waiting for?" Iago asked as he perched on Cassim's shoulder.

"I'm not going. If Kairi wants to, I won't stop her, but I won't run away."

"But you can't go back! They saw your face! Your life is over! You have nothing to return to!" Cassim argued.

Aladdin shut his eyes and turned his face away. "You're wrong! Jasmine's there! I won't do what you did and run away!"

"I never ran away from anything!"

"You ran away from your family!" Aladdin yelled.

"I told you what happened! What else could I do? What else can you do?"

"The right thing." Aladdin softly said as he pulled out sheathed dagger and threw it on the ground in front of his father. "I won't walk out on Jasmine. I'm your son, but I can't live your life." He turned around and looked at Kairi and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Kairi, you should get out of here too." 

Kairi softly gasped. "Aladdin…"

"I know where your heart lies and what you're trying to do." He shut his eyes and turned his face away. "Agrabah is not safe for you right now. I may not trust my father with my own life, but at least you'll be safe with him until you meet up with your friends."

"My friends…"

Aladdin sighed before turning and beginning to walk away. "Hopefully, we'll meet again, someday. Goodbye."

"So be it…" Cassim growled. "Come along, Kairi."

Kairi stood in the middle, watching both men parting in opposite directions. Her head darted between the both of them. On one hand, Aladdin was right. Agrabah was not safe for her to be in right now. Not to mention, Cassim still had her lucky charm, so she almost had no choice, but to remain with him until she was able to retrieve it back from him. On the other hand, running away from her problems never solved anything. Whenever Sora was in trouble, he would always face it, take the consequences, and try to make things right. Even if it might hurt in the beginning, Kairi knew that it wasn't fair for her to run away when she was just as responsible for the situation at hand.

"Aladdin, wait!" Kairi called out.

"Where are you going?" Cassim asked, his voice raised.

"I'm going back to the palace with Aladdin."

Cassim sighed and shook his head. "My son's rubbed off on you, I should've known."

"No, I'm going back because I'm not a coward like you!" She furrowed her eyebrows and shot a glare towards Cassim. "I can't save Sora this way...it's not right, and he wouldn't want it that way either!"

"Forget the boy! Haven't you seen what my life has become?"

"Yes…" Kairi held her head low for a moment before bringing it back up, shooting a firm scowl towards him. "I have seen how lonely and pathetic your life has become, and it's only given me more reason to not give up on Sora, and I will continue to fight for him, but I will do it the _right_ way."

Cassim sighed heavily. "If I can't stop my own son, then I can't stop you either. The choice is yours." He and Kairi turned and began to part their own separate ways until Cassim stopped in his tracks. "Kairi!"

Kairi stopped and turned at the sound of her name being called. Her eyes watched as her pouch was suddenly tossed towards her and landed right at her feet.

Iago flew over towards Kairi and landed on her shoulder. "Come on, kid! We're talking total freedom! We have the Oracle! You can see the world and all of its greatest treasure!"

"Iago…" She picked him from her shoulder and held him in her hands. "Love is the greatest treasure anyone will ever find, and it's something you won't find buried in the dirt."

"Good luck, kid!"

Kairi watched as Iago flew away and caught up with Cassim, who had started on his path back to where he once came. Aladdin had given him a chance to change his life and it was obvious of the life he had chosen. Kairi had seen that Cassim had ran away from his family and all the consequences regarding it, and now, he was alone. Despite the mistakes she had made, Kairi refused to run away and not face the consequences of her actions. She'd be no better than him, or even any of her old enemies. Kairi turned and began jogging back into Agrabah's marketplace, catching up to Aladdin rather easily.

"Is this a good time to owe you an apology for judging you earlier tonight?" Aladdin asked, sensitivity in his voice.

"Mmmm, maybe later." Kairi answered shaking her head. "For now, there's someone else we both owe an apology to."

"You're right. We've gotta face the music sooner or later."

"And we'll do it together."

,


	12. The Vanishing Isle

Chapter 12: The Vanishing Isle

Back at the lair of the Forty Thieves, it had been a full day since Cassim had left for Agrabah and the place was looking less lively than it had only earlier that morning. For out of left field, there was a Heartless attack at the lair that ended up wiping out nearly the entire band and leaving only those who were worthy enough to fight back against the Heartless and defend themselves. Despite being unprepared, there were some who proved themselves more than worthy with their combat skills. Yet, it didn't change the fact that they were no longer the Forty Thieves any longer. Little did they know that the attack was all part of a plan, a big plan that was constructed within the deepest shadows.

"The Forty Thieves are down to seven! What are we to do?" One thief asked.

Another thief put a hand under his chin. "I thought the Heartless were one our side. What happened?"

With a gust of wind, the torches blew out. This could only mean one thing for the Forty Thieves. Somebody had opened up the entrance. Who was at the entrance? It was one of two options. Either it was Cassim or it was another attack. Either way, this time the thieves were prepared for what came their way.

"What is this? Another raid?"

The martial artist thief crouched into a battle stance. "Sounds like a good time to die!"

"Or to come back from the dead!"

From the shadows of the lair, Sa'luk emerged, a menacing sneer on his face!

"Sa'luk! You're alive!" The triplet thieves exclaimed.

"I'm a survivor, like all of you, no thanks to Cassim!" Sa'luk snakily explained.

"The king?" The thieves all muttered amongst themselves.

"And he wants you all to rot in the palace dungeon! He betrayed you! He took advantage of the power he consumed from having control over the Heartless and he sold you out!"

One of the thieves lowered his eyelids in suspicion. "Why should we believe you? You never liked the king!"

Sa'luk grew a menacing grin on his face. "Because I took control of the Heartless from him. Don't you see?" He snapped his fingers, summoning some Bandits that stood by the thieves. "They are loyal to their master and whoever I command them to spare. Don't you see? He wanted it all for himself! Life was better before Cassim! Don't you remember?" Sa'luk marched his way to the center of the troops that had gathered around. "There was always loot in the lair! And now, NOTHING! For years, we have pillaged and plundered and what have we found? NOTHING! For years, he earned your loyalty, and now, what has he reduced you to? NOTHING!"

"Sounds like the common word here is nothing." A thief whispered to another.

"Rally the troops! We're meant to regroup and return to our roots! And this time…" Sa'luk snapped his fingers and summoned a couple Fortuneteller Heartless that floated above the band of thieves. "We have the fighting advantage!"

The thieves muttered amongst themselves, unsure of who to turn their loyalties to, unbeknownst that it was a trick that was set up by Sa'luk all along to get revenge on Cassim and to finally feed his hunger for power and leadership in The Forty Thieves. Each set of eyes darted between their fellow comrades and their potential new leader before Sa'luk finally crossed his arms and cleared his throat, silencing the room.

"Now, just begs the question…" A wide menacing grin spread across his face. "Are you in? Or out?"

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"Sooooo, I'm not sure how I feel about this forty-way split. I was leanin' more towards an even split, just you and me!" Iago brought up, wiping his brow with his wing.

Cassim shook his head, a firm look on his face. "I could never leave my men out. They are all I've got, my only family…"

After parting ways with Kairi and Aladdin, Cassim and Iago made the long trek back to the lair, Cassim's real home, at least according to him. He couldn't take his mind off the disappointed look Aladdin had given him before returning to the palace. It only made him want to return back home sooner. The sooner he was back with the Forty Thieves, the sooner Cassim could go back to his original life and the pain of the broken relationship between him and his son would fade away. As far Kairi, the least he could do was at least return her lucky charm to her, which served no purpose to him any longer.

When Cassim climbed the stairs up to the lair, it had that familiar feel to him. Yet, something didn't feel right. There was a sense of emptiness that was never there before.

"I'm home!" Cassim announced.

One by one, each of the thieves emerged from the dark shadows of the lair. This would've brought much relief to Cassim, except they weren't wearing the expressions he was expecting. They all wore fierce scowls and each of them were armed with swords. Cassim softly gasped as he saw each thief slowly march towards him, ready to strike with their weapons. Iago held onto Cassim as he backed away, ready to turn and flee. He spun around only to find themselves backed into a wall, nowhere to go.

"Why don't they look happy to see us?" Iago asked, panic rising in his voice.

Sa'luk stepped out in front from the shadows, a sneering grin on his face. "Oh, we are _thrilled_!"

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_**Aladdin and I went back to the palace that night. We had both made the decision to take responsibility for our actions. If I wasn't already in hot water for my actions with the Oracle, then I knew we were in boiling water. Not only did we find Jasmine at her chamber, beyond worried, but she was fuming after we told her what had happened.**_

"Okay, I don't know where to begin with you both!" Jasmine scolded, her voice raised, almost in a 'mother' tone.

Genie gasped. "Oh boy! Jasmine's in the 'mother' zone!" He shapeshifted into a young girl and got on his hands and knees in a begging position. "I'm sorry, Mommie Dearest! I'm sorry!"

"Not now, Genie!" Jasmine sternly shot him down. Her harsh eyes looked back at both her guilty fiancee and her guilty friend. "What made you both decide to go break out Aladdin's father like that?"

"Jasmine...we're really sorry." Kairi softly said, standing up.

Aladdin placed his hand on Kairi's shoulder, shaking his head. "No Kairi, let _me _take responsibility for this." He stepped forward. "Jasmine, it was all my idea. I was the one who caused trouble and chose to break my father out. Kairi was just being what I always believed her to be...a good friend who was looking out for me, just like Sora always used to do."

Jasmine sighed, a disappointed look on her face. "Aladdin, first you didn't tell me about your father being the King of Thieves, and now this. We're supposed to be married, and I have to be able to trust you to be honest with me. How can I if you continue to keep secrets from me?"

"I'm sorry, Jasmine…" He softly said, holding his head low. "This was the last thing I wanted. Maybe I never should've gone out to find my father. I should've known his intentions weren't good."

Kairi, feeling sympathetic for Aladdin, stepped forward and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Jasmine, he's a good guy. Please forgive him. Life is too short to stay angry at those you love for long. He was only trying to save his father, just like I was only trying to save Sora earlier."

Jasmine thought for a moment, her eyes darting between Aladdin and Kairi. "I'm not exactly happy that Aladdin did this behind my back, and I'm especially not happy that you got involved with this, but…" She paused, a soft smile forming. "You're right Kairi."

"I am?"

"Both of your actions today, as wrong as they were, they were done out of love, you did come back and take responsibility" She sighed in defeat. "And...I would have done the same for my father too. But…" Jasmine took Aladdin's hands in hers. "Please, no more secrets, and no more lies."

Aladdin smiled warmly and nodded. "I promise."

Kairi turned back at the feeling of two hands on both her shoulders, both belonging to her two closest comrades. "I guess I owe you both an apology too." She said, a hint of guilt in her tone. "You chose to accompany me on this journey, and I feel like I've set a bad example, and failed to be a good leader like I should be. I'm sorry, to both of you."

Xion and Namine exchanged sympathetic looks with each other before Namine stepped forward and placed a hand on Kairi's shoulder. "Kairi, we didn't come on this journey with you because we thought you were a great leader. We came because we know how important this is to you, how much Sora means to you. We came for _you and Sora_."

"Just...please don't do anything else reckless, okay?" Xion asked with a cheeky grin. "We don't need you disappearing on us too." Kairi smiled sheepishly and brushed hair behind her ear. "But, really Kairi, don't be afraid to ask us for help." She placed her hand on Kairi's other shoulder. "We're your friends and...even if you and I haven't known each other as long as you and Namine have...it still doesn't mean I care about you any less." Her eyes began to water as she took Kairi's hands into her own. "And I know how much you mean to Sora. I know if anything happened to you, it would crush him, so at least for _him_, please be careful."

Kairi smiled warmly at both of her friends and nodded. "I promise I'll be more careful."

Genie wiped a tear. "I just love happy endings! Now that we're all here, let's not delay the action at home any longer!" He shapeshifted into a caterer. "I'd say it's about time we _finally _have this wedding!"

The happy moment was immediately interrupted by the loud squawk from above. Everyone looked up and noticed that Iago was tumbling down from above. Kairi and Aladdin both watched with confusion considering the last time they saw him, he was going off with Cassim. Carpet launched forward and caught the bird before he could hit the hard ground. Iago took a minute to catch his breath. Namine, on the other hand, stepped forward and picked up Iago, holding him in her hands and rubbing his back gently to try and help him out.

"HELP...IT'S…CASSIM..." Iago wheezed.

Namine's eyebrows furrowed. "What is it Iago? What about Aladdin's father?"

"It's Sa'luk! The guy Al and Kairi beat! He's not beat!" He took a deep breath. "He's..._back_."

Kairi gasped. "He's alive?"

"And he's got Cassim!"

"That's his problem!" Aladdin yelled, immediately jumping to his decision. "He chose to go back!"

"But Aladdin…" Namine argued.

Kairi placed a hand on Namine's arm. "Nami, I think it's best for us to let Cassim handle this for himself this time around."

"But you can't!" Iago pleaded. "Sa'luk took the Oracle and is now using those shadow things and the Forty Thieves have turned on him!"

"The Oracle?" Everyone asked at once.

"Eh...we mighta taken a _slight _detour on our way out, but that doesn't matter because all our hard work is gonna be for nothing if Sa'luk is gonna get in our way!"

"The Oracle…" Kairi muttered. She reached in and pulled out the pouch containing her lucky charm pieces. "That's why he gave this back to me…he was upholding his end of the deal."

Xion stepped closer towards Kairi. "Listen, this may seem hard to believe, but there's something you never knew about Cassim because you...kinda left before he had a chance to explain." She paused and sighed. "He never wanted to abandon his family. He _did _go back, but he couldn't find Aladdin or his wife."

Kairi's eyes widened. "He came back…? Maybe there _is _some good in Cassim after all…" She crossed her arms, holding her head low in deep thought. "A light at the end of the tunnel…" She muttered, as if she were reciting something. "No matter how deep the darkness, a light shines within…"

"Kairi? You okay?" Namine asked.

"Yeah…" She stepped closer to Aladdin, a sympathetic look on her face. "Aladdin, what your father did was a huge mistake on his part, but did you ever consider that maybe his heart is torn between light and darkness? He lived a life of crime for many years, and he finally sees the light that pulls him out, but that doesn't stop the darkness from fighting back." She paused, smiling weakly. "Does that sound familiar at all?"

Aladdin sighed, a hint of defeat in it. "Sounds like what happened in my life. When I met Jasmine, everything changed, but it didn't happen overnight."

"_You_ are _his _light, and the only who can save his heart." Kairi took Aladdin's hands in hers. "In every heart, no matter how weak it is, there's a light that never goes out." She sighed, holding her head low in guilt. "I did the exact same thing your father did to a friend of mine. I abandoned him to 'set things right' instead of just being there for him when he needed me. I would give anything, to go back to that day and take back what I said..."

Genie nodded in agreement. "Al, I know your father made a lot of bad choices, but that doesn't mean you have to."

"Criminal or not, he is your father, and will one day be part of my family." Jasmine said, a serious tone in her voice. "How can you do anything else?"

Aladdin stepped forward, leaning against the balcony railing and staring off into the distance. "I'm being as stubborn as he was…" Everyone waited patiently for Aladdin to decide. Would he truly let his father go or would he give Cassim a real second chance? He had to listen to his heart. "You ladies feel up to one more adventure?" He turned around and asked with a determined look on his face.

Genie howled in excitement as Carpet scooped everyone up and began floating in the air. "Come on gang! We can't keep the home viewers at home waiting for DLC! Weeeeeeeee are outta here!"

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Immediately following, everybody suited up and got themselves ready to rescue Cassim. Carpet was able to remember how to get to the lair just fine, but Iago had to take over once they had reached the ocean and set out far into the horizon. The morning sun had arrived just in time for them to reach the ocean and created a great sparkling effect. Kairi and Namine marveled at the sight as Aladdin continued to steer Carpet in the direction Iago was leading them towards. All while Xion was riding piggyback on Genie since there was no more room on Carpet and was doing her very best to not accidentally release her grip.

"So what're we looking for exactly?" Namine asked.

Aladdin pointed to the ship that was sailing towards a ray of light on the sea. "They most likely used the Oracle to find the treasure my dad was looking for."

The light that shone above the ocean suddenly dove down into the deepest depths before forming large currents. Everyone watched in confusion as they looked down and watched a large structure slowly rise from below. Carpet backed everyone up, giving this structure enough room. The higher it floated above the surface, the closer Kairi was able to see that the structure was a large white castle that rose above. Her jaw dropped at just how huge it was. She vaguely remembered the castle from her original home in Radiant Garden, but the size of this one seemed overwhelming compared to the one at Radiant Garden.

If that wasn't enough, neither Kairi or any of the girls were expecting a giant turtle to rise above it. It was unlike anything they had ever seen. _This is where the Hand of Midas is? _Kairi thought to herself. _No wonder Cassim spent years trying to find it._ She understood why Cassim was so desperate to find the Oracle. An island that is never in the same place twice, and yet, the Oracle somehow knew exactly where it was. Kairi couldn't help but think that maybe the Oracle would've been helpful in sharing with her how to save Sora.

"Whoa! It's huge!" Xion marveled.

"That's The Vanishing Isle…." Aladdin muttered.

Jasmine found herself amused by the idea behind this legendary isle. "It's on the back of a giant turtle."

Kairi chuckled. "That would explain why it's never in the same place twice."

Aladdin nodded in agreement as he flew Carpet closer towards the palace. "Okay, here's the plan. Kairi, you, Genie, and the girls are gonna take care of the remaining Forty Thieves and whatever Heartless give you any trouble. I'll got after Sa'luk and my father." He turned and looked at Kairi with sincere eyes. "Please keep Jasmine safe."

"I will, promise!"

Exchanging confident and affirmative looks, Aladdin hopped off of Carpet and hid on one of the rooftops while everyone else flew down towards the Forty Thieves. Genie placed Xion on Carpet before disappearing and reappearing in front of the band in a mech-like suit, armed with a...Nerf gun?

"Nerf this!" Genie yelled as he held out his gun towards the thieves.

Each of them seemed to scramble, including Sa'luk, who took Cassim and fled. Kairi figured Aladdin had prepared for this, thus leaving the girls to take out the thieves and the Heartless that Sa'luk had summoned before taking off.

"You guys aren't going anywhere but to the bottom of the sea!" Kairi taunted as she summoned her Keyblade.

Xion looked at her friend with amusement. "Wow, you've gotten intense with those taunts."

"Don't leave me out of this!" Jasmine ran up to the rest of the girls and held up her arm in a defensive position.

"Jasmine?"

"I may be a princess, but I'm not worthless."

Kairi smiled proudly. "Okay! Let's get 'em girls!"

With Genie shooting at the thieves, this left the girls to begin charging towards the Heartless. Namine cast a Thunder spell, paralyzing the enemies and giving Kairi and Xion a chance to begin swinging their Keyblades to take out the two Bandit Heartless rather quickly. They didn't go down without a fight though. One Bandit lunged at Kairi and knocked her over, giving her a massive head rush. Namine hurried over and cast a Cure spell over her, giving the feisty redhead enough energy to hop back up and counter the Bandit's attack, wiping it out cold. Xion, on the other hand, blocked a Bandit attack before sliding to the left to dodge and slicing it in the back, taking it out.

Namine snuck behind a Fat Bandit and cast a Blizzard spell, freezing it completely before sliding down on the trail created by her spell and catching some air at the end from a jump. She swung her Keyblade hard as she dove down and shattered the frozen Heartless into pieces. Kairi and Xion's eyes widened at Namine's victory. Being the most inexperienced of the trio, she had yet to completely take out an enemy larger than her on her own, so Namine took pride in her accomplishment by flashing a wide smile and a "peace" sign to her friends, who only laughed and gave her a victory wave.

The celebration didn't last long before the trio ran over to help Genie and Jasmine take out the Forty Thieves...all seven of them. Jasmine threw a hard punch at the one who specialized in martial arts before another tried to grab her from behind, immobilizing her. She grunted and struggled as the thief held her arms behind her back. Kairi, not having any of it, charged forward and swung her Keyblade in the thief's head, knocking him directly to the ground and releasing Jasmine. The two girls smiled and nodded at each other as another thief, one with a large sword, came charging forward, only for Kairi and Jasmine to each charge up their fists and throw them against the thief's face, also knocking him out. As much of a pain as they were, Kairi didn't want to kill them. It was against her moral nature.

All that were left were the triplets. Carpet scooped up Namine, Xion, and Kairi before it went flying around, throwing the triplets off. Namine started off by casting Thunder before Carpet went charging at them with the girls charging their Keyblades. When within an arm's reach, all three girls swung their Keyblades and knocked the triplets against the wall, taking out what was left of the Forty Thieves. All that remained was Sa'luk, who was nowhere to be seen. Kairi assumed that Aladdin was taking care of him.

The group celebrated their victory and while Kairi was more than happy that they took out a dangerous band of thieves and Heartless, something else was plaguing her mind, and it was closer than anyone ever thought. She looked behind her and noticed the same figure in the black coat that she encountered only a couple days before after Aladdin and Jasmine's wedding was crashed. What were the odds that this figure kept appearing every time Kairi fought off these thieves? Were they a secret member that Cassim never mentioned?

"Hm?" Kairi tilted her head as she saw the figure turn and begin walking into what could only be the palace of the isle. "Hey! Wait!"

Not thinking to let any of her friends know, Kairi began chasing after the figure. She was not about to let this figure go again, not until she got some answers. Who were they? Where did they get that coat? Why were they running away from her? What was their reason for keeping their identity hidden? Kairi ran into a large chamber, not taking a lot of time to appreciate the architecture and the fact that the Hand of Midas was sitting above her by several feet. She took a peek up and noticed the large golden hand that slowly rotated.

No time to be distracted by treasure though. Kairi hurried forward, listening carefully for any additional footsteps that clapped against the hard floor. This figure was definitely now running as fast as they could, judging by how hard their feet were hitting the floor ahead of Kairi. She picked up her own pace, following the echoing footsteps. Up one flight of stairs and around a corner, Kairi found that the figure had nearly run into a wall, a dead end. Unless the figure wanted to pull a cheap shot and disappear behind another dark portal, they had nowhere to go as Kairi blocked the way back.

"Stop!" She yelled.

Kairi stood her ground firmly as she watched the figure stop, its back facing towards her. The figure slowly turned around and curled their hand in and out, as if they were stretching it out. Kairi furrowed her eyebrows in confusion as she held her arm up in a defensive stance, ready for this figure to strike at any moment. Her eyes followed the figure's hand as they held it out to the side outstretched, allowing a Keyblade to materialize in their hand. Kairi involuntarily gasped at the sight of the mysterious Keyblade, immediately, throwing her hand out to the side to summon her own weapon.

"A Keyblade?" She muttered to herself.

Without speaking a word, the figure held their Keyblade with both hands and sprinted forwards Kairi, ready for an attack. She immediately held her blade up to block off the figure's attack. Her arms began to tremble as she struggled to push the enemy back. As the figure stepped forward, hoping for Kairi to fall to the ground, Kairi decided to leap back, dodging any attacks this figure had prepared. It was a good thing she did because the figure went charging towards her with a heavy swing of their Keyblade wound up and ready to strike.

Instead of trying to dodge again, Kairi ran forward and swung her own Keyblade, both blades clashing hard upon impact. This time, she pushed as hard as she could, trying to exert her own strength. Unfortunately for her, this wielder appeared to be more experienced or just stronger in general. The figure leapt back before charging forward in a sprint and swinging their Keyblade, unleashing a fury of attacks on Kairi, who had no choice but to hold her blade up and guard as many attacks as she could.

The figure finally leapt up before diving down towards Kairi, Keyblade aimed at her head, as if this figure was intent on killing her right on the spot. Gasping at the oncoming attack, Kairi rolled out of the way, causing the Keyblade to thrust into the ground and get stuck. Taking advantage of their weapon being useless at the time, Kairi charged forward and swung her Keyblade at the figure, knocking them back and against the wall. The figure groaned in pain from the impact. They fell over onto the ground, lying down in pain and holding their frontal area where Kairi had struck them. Wanting to get down to the bottom of who this mysterious figure was, Kairi dragged her feet across the floor until she was within arm's reach of her enemy.

"Who are you? How did you find me? And _why _do you have a _Keyblade_?" She asked as she held her Keyblade up, ready to strike again.

The figure grunted as they stood up. "Shut up!"

A high pitch voice yelled from the figure, giving Kairi the impression that this figure was a female. Now that Kairi had to good chance to look at them, she did see that that figure did bear a strong resemblance to a female with their build. They had smaller shoulders and a thinner waistline like hers. The figure held out her arm and summoned her Keyblade from where it was stuck, back to her hand. Not giving Kairi enough of a chance to defend herself, the figure struck her down. Kairi fell down to the ground in pain, gripping her Keyblade tightly, and coughing blood onto the ground from the impact.

"Pathetic…" The figure softly said as she look down at the fallen Kairi. "Worthless...what does _he _see in you?"

"Who?" Kairi asked.

"As if you don't know already…"

Kairi gasped. "Wait! Are you talking about Sora?"

"I don't know of any Sora." The figure snickered. "Whoever he is, why get his hopes up? You can't even defend yourself…"

"SHUT UP!"

Kairi yelled as she hopped back up and swung her Keyblade at the figure, only to have her attack blocked. Allowing her anger to cloud her judgment, she continued to thrash her Keyblade towards the figure, only for each of them to be blocked and for the figure to trip her and send her crashing to the ground again. Just as the figure swung her Keyblade towards Kairi, the redhead managed to kick herself off the ground, causing her to kick the figure's hand and redirect her Keyblade swing. After landing on the ground, she did a backflip and swung towards the figure vertically from the bottom, attempting to flip her enemy back. Her attack managed to land, creating an uppercut-like effect. The figure was knocked back once again, this time, leaning against the wall, feeling the wind knocked out of her.

Not wanting to waste anymore time, Kairi briskly walked forward, wanting to know who this figure was. She reached her arm around to grab the hem of the hood, only for fierce shaking of the ground to cause her to lose her footing and fall over. Even the figure was affected by the ground shaking and not being able to stand up. The sound of rushing water drew both Kairi and the figure's attention to the side, where they saw the story below them was being flooded by rushing water. Despite the undeniable strength of the figure, the rushing water was enough to swallow even the toughest enemies under its currents. She held her hand out beside her, causing a dark portal to appear before hopping ot her feet and racing out of the flooding chamber.

"Wait!" Kairi yelled as she watched the figure disappear behind a dark portal.

"Kairi!"

Kairi looked up and saw Namine and Xion high up on a ledge, holding out their hands. "Get up here before you get washed away! The island is sinking!"

Watching as the water level rose at a dangerous pace, Kairi scrambled and began climbing up the ledge. Thankfully for her, she had gotten the hang of wall climbing during her Keyblade training with Axel and Merlin. She grabbed onto both Xion and Namine's hands once she was within reach of them, the two of them luring her up to the very top and in a (for now) save spot from the flooding waters.

"Thanks guys! Where's Jasmine and the others?"

"They're still outside." Xion answered. "When the island started to sink, we ran in here. I told the others to get up to high ground while we search for you and Aladdin."

"Did you find him and Cassim?"

Namine shook her head. "No, but we'd better get out of here. Aladdin will find a way out."

"Are you sure?"

Xion chuckled. "Yeah, he's a street rat, remember? He knows his way out of trouble!" She turned and began jogging across the ledge. "Come on, girls!"

Kairi and Namine exchanged agreeing nods before following Xion. In all of Kairi's years of living on an island, the one thing she had (shockingly) never experienced was a flood. To her, seeing one and experiencing one were completely different. This particular flooding reminded Kairi of a movie that she and Axel went to see in Twilight Town during a break from their training. In fact, thinking back to this moment actually brought her out of her slight panic that the only way out she knew about was filled with rushing water. Kairi remembered back to how that movie was about three hours long and Axel slept through the first half of it because he didn't become interested until the ship started sinking in the second half and the first half was all about a love story. Poor Axel, never was a hopeless romantic even if he tried.

When the girls reached a dead end, they had no choice, but to climb up. They all three looked back and saw that all they could do was keep moving up and forward if they were going to survive the flooding. Kairi and Xion held their hands out and together, allowing Namine (who arguably was the lightest of the three) to hop on. With a hard push, she was given a boost, allowing her to hop to the top of this ledge that was much taller than the last one, requiring the girls to have to really work together to get each other up and fast! Xion had Kairi hop onto her shoulders, giving her a boost up towards Namine, who was reaching down with her hand ready to pull the next girl up. Kairi climbed up a bit before grabbing Namine's hand and being pulled up. Xion was the last one. She was in the best shape out of the three thanks to her time in the Organization and was able to climb almost the whole way up before being pulled up by Kairi and Namine.

After running a little further in, the girls figure they were on high enough ground that they could stop for a minute to catch a breath. While they were still figuring out a way out, Namine thought of the idea of trying to catch up with Aladdin and Cassim since they were be the ones who could act on short notice in trying to escape.

"Any sign of 'em?" Xion asked, panting heavily and looking around.

"Wait! There he is!" Namine called out, pointing towards a platform across from them. It was solid gold and bared a striking resemblance to a hand. It looked exactly like the large gold hand that Kairi had seen earlier. In addition, there appeared to be a statue with a gold hand sticking out of it. Aladdin himself was approaching the statue and pulling the hand out.

Kairi stopped in her tracks and looked across. "Aladdin!" She called out.

"Check it out! We found the Hand of Midas!"

Aladdin called back as he held up the solid gold hand for all three girls to see. He looked over towards Cassim, who was not that much farther down from the girls, before tossing it over to him. Cassim carefully caught it in his cape, causing it to turn to solid gold.

"The Hand of Midas!" Cassim proclaimed before sticking the hand to the ground, causing the entire chamber to turn to solid gold.

Xion marveled at the sight. "This is amazing!"

"Wow, just a piece of this gold and I can buy all of Destiny Islands." Kairi laughed, amused.

"Aladdin! Look out!" Namine yelled as she pointed above Aladdin's head.

"Nobody's going anywhere…" Sa'luk growled as he dropped from above and kicked Aladdin down to the platform. "Give the Hand of Midas to me or your son dies, Cassim!" He yelled.

"Aladdin!" Cassim yelled, his voice full of concern. He growled as he held his head low. "If only I were young enough to jump over there…"

Kairi summoned her Keyblade and stepped back. "But I am!" She yelled before sprinting forward and jumping from the edge and across the chasm. Lucky for her, she had strong legs and a light body, which carried her all the way over to the platform. "You're finished Sa'luk! You're gonna have to deal with me before you hurt _any _of my friends!"

Much to both Aladdin and Kairi's surprise, Xion and Namine also jumped over onto the platform, ready to stand by their friends for battle. "You'll have to go through us too!" Xion threatened.

Sa'luk laughed menacingly. "Don't make me laugh!"

"What? Are you afraid of a bunch of girls with Keyblades?" Kairi taunted.

"You know _nothing _of _real _darkness!"

Sa'luk held his arms up as if he was releasing whatever darkness had been built up inside of him. Everyone remained in battle stances ready for whatever Sa'luk was planning to throw at them. Instead of him attacking them, he allowed himself to fall backwards off the platform and into the flooding waters below. Kairi and Aladdin ran forward and leaned over, confused by the fact that there was no splash indicating of Sa'luk hitting the water.

Instead, a section of water began to darken until it was a navy blue. Bubbles formed as if the water was boiling until it began to rise. Everyone watched in confusion as the water rose and began to form into a towering human-shaped Heartless, large golden claws drawn at its hand, and a face that was cloaked, resembling a Persian thief. Kairi's throat dropped into her stomach as she saw the Heartless instantly shoot a deadly glare at her. It wound up its left hand, allowing its claws to begin spinning like a drill. Every stepped back before turning and sprinting, jumping across to another ledge and avoiding the attack from the menacing Heartless.

"What the heck is this thing?" Kairi asked. She decided to hold up her watch towards the Heartless, scanning it for data. "Hmm…" She looked down at the scanned data. "Its name is Kanz Avenger and it's primarily made of liquid and uses it for defense...that's great…."

Aladdin looked over at the girls, gripping his sword tightly. "Come on girls, let's get rid of them for good this time!"

"How? He's huge and we don't exactly have the best access to him!" Xion asked.

Namine studied the Avenger and watched as he melted into liquid and travelled across and closer to where the gang had perched on the ledge. He wound up his right arm that had retained Sa'luk's claws and swung horizontally, everyone managed to jump out of the way avoiding the claws, but still being tripped by his arm. Kairi watched in fascination as the stretched liquified arm returned back to its original form as if it were made of elastic. This was unlike any enemy she had ever faced.

"Guys! I have an idea!" Namine yelled out. "This Heartless is made of water, right?" Everyone nodded in response. "Well…" She held out her Keyblade and cast Blizzard, creating a trail of ice along the flooding waters and a pathway towards the towering Heartless and actually freezing a part of the Kanz Avenger in place. "Come on!" Namine waved over as she hopped down and onto the ice path, sliding down.

Kairi, Xion, and Aladdin followed her and began sliding down the ice. The fact that this creature was made of water only ice all the more useful. As Namine leapt off the ice and towards the Avenger, she cast a Thunder spell, causing severe pain to the towering creature. With the Heartless feeling the effects of the electric shocks, Kairi had a chance to hope off the edge of the ice trail and land on the bulky arm, immediately wailing on it. The only issue with hitting this particular Heartless was that with it being made of water, it seemed that every time a piece of its arm was taken out by Kairi's Keyblade, it would materialize right back. Same thing went for Xion, who was attacking the other arm.

"Kairi! His arm keeps rematerializing!" Xion called out from across.

Kairi thought for a moment. "What else can we do?"

Aladdin, who had been wailing on the Heartless' shoulder, held a hand out to Kairi. "Do you trust me?" He called out to her.

"What? Uh...sure?" She took his hand.

Within seconds, Aladdin threw her high up in the air. "Dive into the top of his head."

Listening to Aladdin's advice, Kairi curved her body until she was diving head first towards the Avenger. Sensing her oncoming presence, the Heartless melded into the water, sending everyone crashing down into the pool below them. Forming into what appeared to be a giant aquatic amoeba, the Avenger wrapped its centipede-like body around Namine tightly crushing her body while shaking her like a rag doll. Watching in horror, Kairi stood on the trail of ice and attempted to cast a Thunder spell, only for the Heartless throw Namine smack against a wall, knocking her out.

"Namine!" Kairi and Xion cried out as she fell back into the water. Xion swam over and grabbed Namine, attempting to hold her head above the water. "I've got ya! Come on! You gotta wake up!" She lightly shook their friend.

Kairi swam over and joined Xion in helping Namine over to the trail of ice that was still solid enough. "Come on, Namine!"

"You girls try to help her out, I'll take care of this guy…"

"Come on…" Kairi muttered to herself, holding her Keyblade above Namine and hoping that she could successfully use the Cure spell she had learned during her training days. Lucky for her, bright green vines of light formed a heart above Namine, giving her the ability to wake up and and hop back up as if she had never gotten hurt. "It worked!"

Namine held her head as she slowly stood up. "That hurt…" She casually said as if she just simply bonked her head on something small. "Okay, where were we?" Namine asked as she held her Keyblade out.

"Running for our lives?" Xion asked as the Avenger attempted to swing its claws at the girls.

"No! Jump!" Kairi yelled.

All three girls jumped just in time to avoid the Heartless' attack. Each of them dove down, Keyblades first, attempting to attack it at once. Namine cast a Blizzard spell on an arm before slicing it off with her Keyblade and causing the frozen piece to shatter into tiny pieces of ice. Unfortunately, it still had the ability to materialize its arm right back to the way it was. Xion and Kairi didn't fare any better with them attempting to wail like they once were. Aladdin had tried attacking his middle using sword techniques, but running into the same problem. Kairi looked towards the Heartless' emblem and thought of an idea to try and attack the actual "heart" in the hopes that maybe it would be the central weak point. She climbed up the arm and over to the chest of the Avenger and thrust her Keyblade into it, only for it to do as much good as shoved a fork in jello.

"Kairi! We're running out of options!" Namine cried out in distress.

Kairi looked up and scowled at the Heartless as she pulled her Keyblade out of its chest. "There has to be a way…."

"Kairi!" Cassim called out from the sidelines. She looked back and saw that he was winding his arm back. "He wants the Hand of Midas! Give it to him!"

With a hard throw, Cassim tossed the Hand of Midas over towards Kairi. She watched as the hand rotated in the air before dropping towards her. She wanted to catch the Hand of Midas until she realized that it was impossible in her position. It finally clicked in her head when she realized what position she was in, latching onto the Heartless' chest. Kairi scrambled and leapt onto the shoulder as she watched the Hand of Midas land right into the Avenger, impaling it in the chest. With a large roar of pain, the Heartless shook as the incredible power of the Hand of Midas suddenly began to freeze the enemy in solid gold.

Kairi landed onto the ledge, followed Xion and Namine. With the Avenger frozen in gold, there was only one thing left to do. The girls exchanged determined looks with each other before all three of them pointed their Keyblades at the Heartless. Beams of light shot out, causing the solid gold to crack and shatter into what appeared to be thousands of pieces of gold, all sinking down to the bottom level of the water. Kairi huffed at the Heartless and kicked a piece of gold that had landed at her feet into the water, down in the depths of the darkness, where it belonged with its greedy owner.

"Looks like Sa'luk's greed was his darkness, and in the end, it destroyed him." Aladdin said as he stood by the girls.

Kairi nodded before looking at all of her friends. "Good job, everyone."

"Everyone! We're running out of time! Let's go!" Cassim yelled as he began sprinting further down the ledge.

Aladdin gave an affirmative nod and led the girls down the same way his father was taking off. The water level was rising even faster now than it was before, meaning that everyone had to pick up the pace and couldn't afford to be distracted by anything. Aladdin and Cassim came to a wall that was climbable and appeared to be their only way out at this point. They waved over Kairi and had her climb up first with Xion and Namine following behind them. Cassim insisted on Aladdin going before him due to his older nature causing him to slow down a little bit. With all five of them climbing their hearts out, it was a race against the sinking island.

Kairi took a look down and checked on the rest of her comrades and how they were holding up. Everyone seemed to be climbing just find, but that wasn't what had her attention. She looked closely down into the water and saw something shiny floating in it. Normally, she'd just let it go, but instead, she was drawn to it. Kairi started to feel the same reaction in her heart that she felt when she found the piece of thalassa shell on the beach back at home.

"Wait...is that…?" Kairi studied close at the shiny object floating in the streaming water that was about to fall into the larger body. It was light purple and yellow. "A charm piece!" She yelled before jumping off and diving into the water.

"Kairi!" Xion and Namine cried, reaching out for her.

Kairi's body hit the water and sent her to deeper depths. Taking full advantage of the fact that she spent most of her time swimming on an island, Kairi 'mermaid-kicked' her way towards the sparkling seashell that seemed to be yanking her closer to it by her heart. The weight of the rushing waters unfortunately had her at a disadvantage and slowed her down by a lot. The waves of the ocean were nothing compared to rushing water from something sinking. Kairi began pumping her arms and trying to get to the seashell faster. While she was successfully able to reach forward and grab the seashell, gripping onto it with her life, she couldn't say the same for returning back up to the surface.

As Kairi tried to swim back up, she unfortunately picked the wrong place to swim back up out of panic that she as running out of oxygen from being under for so long already. As she attempted to poke her head out, the rushing water sent her right back down, cutting her off from getting any air, and causing her to choke on water, and her head to lighten. The lack of oxygen began to affect her body as she attempted to swim back up, but found herself growing weak and not able to successfully swim back up to the surface.

"She's not coming back up!" Namine cried from above.

"Kairi!" Cassim yelled as he jumped off and dove into the water after her.

Aladdin gasped and reached out. "Dad!"

Cassim dove into the water and luckily was able to immediately see her underneath. She was only freshly unconscious by the time he reached her. Suddenly fearing for her life, Cassim swam aggressively towards her and wrapped his arm around her waist, carrying her back up to the surface. Unlike Kairi, who had lost too much air from being underwater for too long, Cassim was capable of successfully swimming back up after finding Kairi very quickly. Once he reached the surface, Cassim paddled his way back over with one arm while supporting Kairi over his shoulder with the other.

"I've got her!" Cassim called out. He reached the ledge and handed her off to Aladdin to carry. "Here, take her, son. I'm not as young as I used to be."

Aladdin chuckled as he carried Kairi over his shoulder with one arm and climbed up with the other. "We've gotcha, Kairi."

Xion and Namine both heaved sighs of relief as they watched their friend being carried up safely. Lucky for them, they didn't have that much farther to go until they reached the outside. Xion took the lead and followed the light that shone from the late morning sun. Once she had hopped out, Xion reached down and helped Namine up, who took a deep breath of relief, but not for long before hopping up to help Xion pull Aladdin and Kairi up.

Both of them reached down and took Kairi as Aladdin handed her off to them. Her immobile body slumped on the two girls as they carefully set her down on the ground. Xion supported and cradled Kairi's upper body in her arms as she gently shook her. While they were trying to wake her up, Aladdin finished climbing out of the chamber and reached down to help Cassim, who managed to also make it out safely despite being a little slower and diving into the water to save Kairi. Both of them knelt down to the girls' level out of concern for the unconscious Kairi. Namine had been slightly shaking her body while Xion was gently tapping her on the face, hoping that one of these would force her away.

"Kairi! Kairi! Are you okay?" Xion asked.

Namine gasped. "Say something, Kairi!"

Kairi coughed harshly, spitting water out. She opened her eyes and saw her friends looking down at her with concerned looks in their eyes. She smiled weakly and held up the thalassa shell piece. "Got it…"

Both girls sighed before Xion scowled down at Kairi. "Don't scare us like that!"

"I'm sorry…" She apologized as she sat up shook her head.

Namine giggled. "It's okay. We just don't want anything to happen to you!"

Xion snickered. "You're stuck with us!'

"Yeah! We're always here for you!" Namine nodded in agreement.

"Thank you, Xion, Namine…" Kairi softly thanked them with a warm smile.

Aladdin nudged her in the arm. "Sora's gonna have to keep an eye on you with all the danger you keep jumping into."

Kairi laughed, appreciating the humor. She looked over at Cassim, who was sympathetically watching the girls. "Cassim...you saved my life. Thank you." She bowed her head out of respect. "I'm sorry about your treasure. We lost it when we defeated Sa'luk."

Cassim shook his head, a serious expression on his face. "No, Kairi. You and Aladdin helped open my eyes to what the _real _treasure was." He looked over at Aladdin and pulled him into a tight embrace. "You, my son, are the ultimate treasure, and I'm sorry it took me so long to figure that out." After breaking the hug, Cassim placed a hand on Kairi's shoulder. "I owe you an apology, Kairi. I took advantage of you, and you were right. I was wrong to run away and my life was pathetic."

"You saved my life, how about we call it even now?" She asked, tilting her head to the side. "But...no more stealing treasure, okay? Time for a _new _Cassim, okay?"

Aladdin shook his head. "Not _new_, just _better_."

"Uh...guys! Can we continue this another time?" Namine asked as she leaned over balcony. "This island is sinking VERY quickly and Jasmine and the others are going under fast!" She pointed out at the rest of the gang, who were gathered on top of a spire.

"Hang on everyone! They'll be here!" Jasmine encouraged them.

Genie panicked and held onto her. "I won't let go, Jas! I won't let go! My heart will go on!"

"Genie! Carpet!" Aladdin yelled down towards the two of them after leaning over. They looked up and caught sight of him, sending a wave of relief through everyone. "Can you give us a lift?"

"You got it! Come on, rug man!" Genie responded as he and Carpet flew up immediately to gather everyone up.

Kairi hopped onto Carpet with Aladdin and Cassim while Genie carried Namine bridal style and Xion rode piggyback on the knick of time, Carpet swooped now and snatched Jasmine off the palace spire with Iago and Abu hopping onto Kairi's shoulder. Genie and Carpet flew around as everyone aboard them watched as The Vanishing Isle sunk completely. Once again, the turtle that the isle sat on, had dove back down to the deep depths of the ocean, and it was here that Kairi truly understood how the isle lived up to its name as it once again, vanished, never to be seen in the same place ever again.

"We got everyone?" Aladdin asked, his eyes scanning around the area.

Genie took a look around. "I think so! Don't worry, if we missed anyone, I saved at that last save point on the island and we can always try this part again."

Kairi laughed. "We have everyone, Genie!"

"So, now what?" Namine asked.

"Take us home, Carpet." Aladdin answered as he looked onward in the distance back towards Agrabah.

With everybody's passengers all accounted for, Genie and Carpet began flying back home towards Agrabah. Kairi watched the ocean pass by in relaxation. It reminded her of how beautiful the ocean was back home. She'd be lying if she said she didn't miss home. Being on a big adventure like this was different and she couldn't help but wonder if Sora ever felt homesick and missed his family. Kairi knew very well that Sora's parents always missed him like crazy, and her family was no different, and in her mind, that included Riku. Seeing Aladdin and Cassim make amends and bond like family again only made Kairi wish she and Riku hadn't separated on bad terms.

Back in Agrabah, everything seemed to have returned to the way it was. The Heartless seemed to have stopped swarming the city thanks to Sa'luk's defeat and, for lack of a better term, a change of heart from Cassim. Everyone flew back to the entrance of the palace and disembarked, earning themselves a good long rest after the intense rescue. Aladdin, Jasmine, and Cassim hopped off immediately, Cassim feeling relieved to be back on his feet despite learning to trust Carpet. Xion immediately ducked under some shade and wiped her sweaty brow while Namine just threw herself back onto Carpet and stretched her arms out. Kairi pulled out her pouch that had the lucky charm in it and pulled both the charm and the new stray piece that she rescued from the Vanishing Isle.

"So, you found the piece of your charm you were looking for?" Jasmine asked.

Kairi nodded as she took the new piece and assembled it with the other three, bringing the total number of pieces to four. "I know it wasn't the smartest idea to jump after it, but if The Vanishing Isle never appears in the same place twice, who knows where I would've been able to find this one. We would've been here much longer probably."

Xion threw her arms behind her head. "Yeah, and no offense, but I don't think I can be in a world where it's hotter than hot for much longer."

Aladdin laughed and shrugged. "None taken."

"We still have a long way to go, but every step counts towards saving Sora." Namine softly said as she studied the lucky charm.

"Kairi." Cassim stepped forward towards her as she looked back at the mention of her name. "I am a man of my word." He reached into his cloak and pulled out the Rod of the Oracle.

"The Oracle!" Everyone gasped at the sight of it.

"Dad! How'd you get that back? I thought Sa'luk had it!" Aladdin asked, amazed.

Cassim snickered. "I'm a street rat, remember?" He held it out to Kairi. "You helped me get this for me, and I promised you a question for the Oracle in exchange."

Kairi frowned, studying the item that arguably got her into more trouble than it was worth. She wasn't sure how she felt about using it, considering it left a negative mark on her own self-esteem. She looked over towards Aladdin and Jasmine, who nodded in response, as if they were giving her permission to use it. Kairi took a deep breath before taking the rod, holding it gently in her hands.

"Remember, the rule of one. One question, one answer." Cassim warned.

"Choose carefully, Kairi." Xion said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Yeah…" She stepped away from everyone else and held it close to her. "I know exactly what to ask."

With both hands, Kairi held the rod up, the emerald glowing in a bright light as it floated away. The light grew larger and larger, until what appeared to be a spirit materialized above the rod and in front of Kairi. She definitely looked like the typical Oracle spirit that Kairi always pictured whenever she had heard about them or read them in books.

"Your question is mine to answer." The Oracle gracefully greeted, holding her arms out. "Be aware of the rule of one. One question, one answer."

Kairi nodded, a determined look on her face. "Yes, I am aware."

"Have you chosen your question?"

"Yes...I have."

"Then ask."

Kairi took a deep breath, double checking with herself one more time about the question she was planning to ask. "Oracle, I've recently started this journey with the hopes of saving Sora. I have an idea of how to do it...but I'm still unsure." She breathed heavily and placed hand over her heart. "Oracle, how can I save Sora?"

The Oracle nodded as she held her hands out to Kairi. "To save, or not to save, will all depend on you. Find the strength he saw in you, and your path to saving him shall become clear."

"W-well, wait!" Kairi asked, stepping forward, feeling confused by the answer she received. "How do I find this strength? What can I do?"

"I am sorry." The Oracle shook her head. "I'm afraid I can only answer one question." She apologized before disappearing back into the rod.

Kairi sighed as she took the rod back and joined everyone else. "Well, that was great, that just left me with _more _questions."

"Isn't that kinda routine for us though?" Xion asked, shrugging.

"But what did she mean by 'strength'? All I've ever done is get Sora into trouble…"

"You'll figure it out." Namine said confidently.

"Whatever she meant by it…" Kairi softly said as she handed the rod back to Cassim. "I don't think I'll find it here."

Genie sighed, sadness in his voice. "Does this mean you're leaving?"

"I'm afraid so, Genie. We've got a long way to go." She gasped and looked over at Aladdin and Jasmine. "Wait! You both still need to have your wedding! We can stay a little while longer to attend it."

Aladdin and Jasmine exchanged affectionate smiles with each other before the princess stepped forward. "Kairi, we talked about it, and...we decided to postpone the wedding until you find Sora."

"W-what…?" Kairi asked softly.

"We just don't feel right having our wedding without one of our good friends here to see it." Aladdin said with a hint of sadness in his voice. "Besides, I'm sure Sora would want to be here for it too."

"Guys…" Her eyes began to water.

Aladdin placed his hands on Kairi's shoulder and looked deeply into her glassy eyes. "You'll save him, I know you will. When you do find him, you both can come to our wedding together."

Tears began to fall down Kairi's face. "Aladdin, Jasmine, thank you." She sniffled before wiping the tears.

"Hey Kairi! Don't forget about your old pal Genie here!" Genie exclaimed as he wrapped an arm around heri. "If you need help, just say the word and I'm there faster than a Google search result!"

Kairi tilted her head before remembering back to what Launchpad had said about 'calling friends for help'. She held up her gummiwatch and allowed it to scan Genie. His data was loaded onto the watch and a magic lamp icon appeared under a "LINK" tab. "So that's what Launchpad meant." She muttered to herself. "Thanks, Genie." Kairi thanked him with a warm hug.

"Kai, Sora's never gonna find another girl like you in a million years." He said sincerely. "Believe me, I know, I've looked."

Xion and Namine stepped up and surrounded Kairi, determined looks on their faces. "Genie's right, you know." Namine said. "If anyone can save Sora, you can."

Feeling a boost of confidence within her, Kairi smiled and nodded, gripping her lucky charm tightly in her hand. She looked up towards the sky, holding the lucky charm right over her heart that raced, as if she could feel Sora's own heart giving her the strength and assurance she needed. _One step closer..._Kairi thought. _I'm one step closer to bringing us together again._

"Okay, let's go guys!" Kairi confidently said, curling her hand into a fist.

Genie spun around like a twister in the air! "Woo! Don't worry everyone, we'll find Sora before Kingdom Hearts 4 comes out!"

"Bye everyone! It's been an adventure!" Xion said smiling widely.

Namine giggled. "We'll all miss you!"

"Even me?" Iago asked, a guilty smile.

"Oh Iago…" She picked up the bird and held him close. "I think I'll miss you most of you all, you ball of fluff. You be good though!" She lightly kissed the top of his beak, causing him to blush and early faint only for Carpet to catch him first.

"Thanks for all your help." Aladdin thanked the girls as Cassim walked up and wrapped an arm around him, Abu sqeaking as well.

Jasmine smiled and nodded. "You're welcome to come back anytime and we hope to see you at our wedding."

"Of course! We'll all be back, and with Sora too!" Kairi assured them before dashing in and hugging both Aladdin and Jasmine.

"Take care…" Aladdin said softly.

Cassim patted her on the back. "Be safe. It's dangerous out there."

"I will! I promise!" Kairi turned back and looked at both of her friends, who were smiling with determination. "Oathkeepers! Let's go! Sora's waiting for us!" She said before the three began their long trek to where they could successfully transport back to their ship. The three of them turned back and waved to Aladdin and company one last time before beginning to jog through the streets of Agrabah.

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And thus, we wrap up another exciting tale in Agrabah, one of a thousand. Kairi, Namine, and Xion all returned to their ship to continue on their way. Where would their next adventure lead them? Well, as a matter of fact, they would actually-

"Hold it! Hold it!" Genie interrupted.

Genie...are you really going to interrupt me now? We're done with Agrabah, the world is over.

"Well, yeah, but aren't you gonna end it off with a great big finale? The movies all did! Or at least give the readers a teaser for the next time they're gonna return to Agrabah!"

But Genie...you don't have anymore movies...Aladdin's story is done.

Genie's jaw dropped. "But...what about that live action movie that's coming out in...a few weeks?"

I thought you wanted to _forget _about that?

"Uh...but what about the Broadway musical? That's on tour! I can tour with the show, can't I?"

I guess...but, the Broadway musical is only your first movie, but expanded upon…

Genie slumped, a sad look on his face. "You mean...we're done…? No more Kingdom Hearts games?"

I...honestly don't know Genie. This is only a fanfiction, so anything is possible. But in the meantime, why not give the readers that big bangin' finale you wanted?

"Hmmm…" Genie instantly cheered up and began shooting fireworks off and turning on the music from 'Arabian Nights'. "Let's see some magic!"

Okay, take us home, Genie!

"There they go, short and sweet, they go jog down the street! Doing just what they all do best! Families saved, love conquers in the end, as for Genie, a well-earned rest!" Genie looked down at Kairi as she led her friends down the street. "She's the girl you once knew, with a goal up ahead, a boy, whose smile is bright! So Salaam, worthy friends! Come again, that's the end, 'til another Arabian Night!"

Salaam worthy friends, 'til another Arabian Night.

* * *

**A/N: Phew! We're finally done with the first Disney world! There's much more to come guys! Thanks for being so supportive!**


	13. Case of the Missing Keyblade Wielder

Chapter 13: Case of the Missing Keyblade Wielder

The sun set once again on another uneventful day on Destiny Islands. It was still as quiet as had been the past year. For Riku, he thought that life on the island couldn't have felt emptier, until that fight he had with Kairi. It was far from pretty and it wasn't like him to snap like that with his friends, especially Sora or Kairi.

Riku shoved his hands in his pocket as he took a walk down the street. His mind had been in the gutter so much so that he hardly noticed that Kairi had been missing from school lately. Nobody could cheer him up no matter how hard they tried. It seemed as if Riku had hid his emotions from the last year so much that now they were spilling out and fast. He didn't talk to anyone anymore. He stopped hanging out with Tidus and Wakka, never got out of the house anymore, and just felt like hiding in, for lack of a better term, the darkness. Riku had hoped that maybe taking a walk would at least help take his mind off things.

Nothing seemed to work. Every little thing on the island reminded him of Sora and Kairi. He may have taken years to realize it, but without his friends, the island truly felt lifeless. Riku passed by the park that he, Sora, and Kairi used to always play at when they were little kids. There was a particular tree that caught his attention, and it wasn't just because there were some little kids playing underneath it. Riku dragged his feet onto the moist grass and walked over to the tree and rested his hand on it. This tree had a memory attached to it, and he remembered it so vividly too.

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_It was a warm day in the summer before Riku's first year of middle school. The 11-year-old had started hanging out with a new crowd of kids and to some extent, drifting apart from Sora and Kairi a little bit. He had come to the realization that he was changing, and suddenly wasn't interested in the childhood innocence that both Sora and Kairi contained within their minds and hearts. These kids were thirteen, in their eighth year of school, and were dating girls. Riku seemed to grab their attention for some reason. Was it his attitude? Probably. He acted like he was older than he really was, but that didn't necessary mean it was a good thing._

_During the past several weeks, this new group of teens had been working towards 'initiating' Riku into their group, coming up with various tasks and tests that Riku would have to successfully complete if he wanted to hang out with them. The tasks were what anyone would expect. Drink an entire gallon of milk within five minutes? Check. Steal candy from the local convenience store? Check. Steal tips from the local bistro? Check. It didn't take a genius to see this group was trouble, but for an 11-year-old that was afraid of facing middle school without his friends, Riku was blind to the dark path he had begun to start down._

_On one particular day, Riku had met up with his "friends" at the park. The leader of the group, a tall stylish kid named Ardyn, had promised that this would be the final day of initiation for Riku. If he could successfully accomplish today's task, then he was in. Ardyn was leaning against a large tree along with Verstael and Ravus, his two other buddies. He had his hands shoved in his pocket and fistbumped Riku as he arrived. He took his fedora off and ran his hand through his mop of dark brown hair, wiping the sweat that moistened his brow and forehead from the island's hot summer sun._

"'_Kay, you ready for your final test?" Ardyn asked._

_Riku nodded. "Tell me what to do."_

"_Okay, I'm feelin' kinda hungry, but I've got no munny, so…" His eyes scanned the park until they landed upon a familiar-looking redhead. "Go hit on that redhead and weasel her munny out of her."_

_Riku's eyes widened as he realized the redhead he was talking about was Kairi! "Uh...what if I hit on...that girl?" He pointed to a blonde that was a hundred feet away from her._

"_No, THAT ONE!" Ardyn demanded with harshness in his voice. "You can even hit up that wimpy kid she's with."_

"_Uh...Ardyn…" Riku stammered as he was pushed forward by Verstael and Ravus. "I-I can't…"_

_Verstael snickered. "What's the deal?"_

"_Yeah, what's the deal?" Ravus asked._

"_I...kinda….know her...those are my friends, Sora and Kairi." _

_Ardyn began laughing out loud. "That's even better! You won't need 'em!" _

_Riku growled and glared at Ardyn. "I'm not gonna do that to my friends!"_

"_Fine! Then you're out! All of that work you did over the summer was for nothin'!"_

"_Fine! I don't need you guys and your stupid crew…" _

_Ardyn snickered and shrugged his shoulders. "Hey, less babysitting we have to do." He looked past Riku and towards Sora and Kairi. "But I'm still hungry." He muttered as he began to briskly walk towards them._

_Riku shot a deadly scowl towards Ardyn and the boys before jogging in front of them and knocking him back with a hard shove. "You stay away from them!" He yelled._

"_What? You wanna do somethin' about it, you shrimp?" Ardyn taunted Riku as he shoved him back. _

"_I'm not afraid of you!" _

_Without having any time to react, Ardyn through a fist across Riku's face, hitting him right by his eye. Riku, feeling the impact from the punch, fell to the ground in pain. He held his face and attempted to get back up only for Verstael and Ravus to surround him and begin kicking him. Riku was never one to surrender to a fight, but for the first time, he felt defenseless having three other boys that were years older than him and stronger than him attack him. Riku groaned at the harsh pain in his stomach from Verstael kicking him hard and knocking the wind out, leaving the other boys laughing at him._

"_Look at how pathetic he really is!" Ardyn jested, Verstael and Ravus laughing along with him. "Let's see him try to defend his friends now!" _

_Riku looked up helplessly as he wiped his lip that was now stained with fresh blood. His eyes started to tear up as hurtful names were hollered at him, some hitting him heavier than others. All he wanted was to make some new friends so that he wouldn't have to face middle school alone with Sora and Kairi both being a year younger than him. _

"_Stop!" _

_Sora and Kairi sprung into action and stood between the fallen Riku and Ardyn's crew, holding their arms out to shield their friend. _

"_You leave him alone, you creeps!" Kairi yelled. _

_Sora scowled at the older boys. "Get lost!"_

"_How cute...look at the little shrimps defending an even bigger shrimp." Ardyn snickered as he nudged Verstael and Ravus in the arms._

"_What should we do to 'em, boss?" Ravus asked, cracking his knuckles._

_Verstael shot a wink towards Kairi. "I like the redhead."_

_Sora threw an arm in front of Kairi and scowled. "You leave her alone!"_

_Ardyn shrugged his shoulders. "Forget about 'em! They're not worth your time!" He suddenly lunged forward and shoved both Sora and Kairi down to the ground with Riku, laughing at them just as hard. "Come on, boys. We're outta here!"  
_

_Sora sat back up and brushed the grass off his body before helping Kairi up. "You okay, Kairi?"_

_Kairi nodded. "Yeah, those guys were jerks." The ten-year-old looked down at Riku before taking hold of his arm and helping him sit up. "You okay, Riku?"_

"_Yeah, they got you good…." Sora said with worry in his voice. _

_Riku sighed heavily and wiped the blood and dirt off his face. "I'm fine. Thanks Kairi, Sora…" He tapped his bottom lip with the tips of his fingers. "My lip won't start bleeding…"_

"_Oh! Come with me!" Taking Riku by the hand, Kairi ran over to where her backpack was set up right next to Sora's backpack over by a picnic table. Sora followed behind and sat at the table and watched as Kairi pulled out a first-aid kit from her backpack. "Here! Take one of these!" She pulled out a cotton ball and began dabbing Riku's bloody lip with it. "Hold this to your lip and keep the blood from coming out."_

"_Thanks...Kairi…" Riku said smiling warmly at Kairi, who returned it with a giggle. He looked over at Sora, who was casually swinging his legs back and forth. "Thanks for having my back, Sora."_

_Sora chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "Sure thing, Riku."_

"_Riku, come and play with us again. We miss you." Kairi softly said. "You're our friend too!"_

"_Even if I'm going to a new school next month?" Riku asked, a disappointed look on his face._

"_Of course! Right, Sora?"_

_Sora smiled nodded. "Yeah, we're always gonna be best friends, no matter how far apart we are!"_

_Riku chuckled, cracking a crooked smile. Sora could be stupidly cheesy at times. "Thanks, Sora, Kairi."_

_Kairi giggled and hugged Riku, who only sat there flustered, scratching the back of his head. "That's our Riku! Now come on! Come throw the frisbee with us!" She bent down and picked up the bright yellow frisbee, holding it up._

"_I betcha I can catch it farther away than you can!" Sora teased as he nudged Riku in the arm. _

_Riku scoffed. "With your tiny little legs? Dream on!"_

"_Say that again!" _

"_Okay Sora, you leave me no choice then." Riku sighed and shook his head. "Guess I'll have to outrun ya when Kairi throws the frisbee."And when I beat you, I'll take Kairi to the first school dance."_

_Sora began blushing as he waved his hands out and shook his head. "W-Wait, wha…? Why that? Besides I can't take her to a dance! We're only gonna be in year five!"_

_Riku shrugged his shoulders and nudged Sora in the arm with his fist. "Guess you'd better start winning for when you and Kairi get to middle school next year."_

"_B-but Riku!"_

"_Hey! Are you boys coming or what?" Kairi yelled from across the field and waved them over._

"_Yeah!" Riku yelled back. He began to jog towards Kairi only to stop halfway into his tracks and looked back at a baffled Sora. "Come on, Sora! You can't win by sitting!"_

_Sora groaned. "You just wait, Riku! I'm gonna win one day!"_

_Riku laughed and jogged the rest of the way over to Kairi with a competitive Sora chasing after him. For the rest of the afternoon, the three of them spent it throwing the frisbee around, Kairi getting roped into Sora and Riku's rivalry shenanigans, and bumming it out on the swings with some ice cream. Life couldn't have been simpler for the three kids, and while Riku did realize that him and his friends would always be together that day, this couldn't have come even close to preparing any of them for the events that were to come just a few years later._

_-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-_

Riku couldn't help but smile at the memory. Looking back, he wasn't proud of the rebellious phase he had gone through in the years following that day, and especially with how he treated Sora during that time. If he didn't realize how much he truly needed his friends back then, he knew it now. Riku returned back to his walk, with his hands shoved in his pockets and dragging his feet against the sidewalk. He happened to pass by the street that Kairi's house was on. He looked down the street and his eyes caught sight of the big white house that sat at the end of the cul de sac. Something was drawing him to the house.

"I should go see Kairi…"

After days of feeling reluctant to see or talk to-what he believed to be-his angry best friend, Riku wandered over to the large house. He didn't see any sign of her parents, which was good on his end as he didn't feel like dealing with or talking to any adults right now and only wanted to speak to Kairi. Riku hopped onto the front porch and rang the doorbell, bouncing off the balls of his feet and hoping that Kairi was feeling okay enough to talk to him considering she was very upset when they had their fight several days ago. The door opened after waiting for a long moment, but it wasn't Kairi who answered the door.

"Oh! Hey Riku!" Selphie greeted.

"Selphie? What are you doing here at Kairi's house?"

"Oh! I'm just...uh...you know…"

Riku groaned and shook his head. "Never mind that, I need to see her."

"No, Riku! She's...uh...still really mad at you! Really, really, REALLY mad at you! Yeah, you don't wanna go near her right now."

"I know Kairi, she's never held a grudge in her life, no matter how angry she got with me and Sora." He shoved past Selphie and walked into Kairi's house. "Kairi! We need to talk!" He called out.

"Uh...she...uh...might be taking a shower!" Selphie ran in front of him, trying to hold him back.

"I don't hear the water running…"

"Then maybe she's-" 

"Cut it, Selphie. Why are you acting like this? Why aren't you letting me near Kairi?" Riku asked, getting frustrated.

"Okay! Okay!" Selphie sighed and held her head low. "Kairi's not here…"

"So she's not at home? Then where is she?"

"No...I mean...she's not here...at the island."

Riku's eyes widened as his jaw dropped. "You mean, she…"

"She left the island completely...days ago…"

"WHAAAAT?" Riku yelled. "KAIRI'S GONE?" He took Selphie by the shoulders and lightly shook her. "Why didn't anyone tell me? If she's out there alone, she could be killed!"

Selphie looked up into Riku's eyes were hers, obviously teary for her friend. "Don't yell at me! She is the one who insisted on leaving! She wanted to go! She wanted to find Sora!"

"Sora…" Riku muttered his name softly. He released Selphie before walking out of the house and staring off to the distance. "She's really serious…" He crossed his arms and snickered. "Hope _you're _taking care of her like I told you to."

"I'm sorry for not telling you, Riku. Kairi didn't want me to tell _anyone_."

"I wish you told me, but I'll forgive you." Riku said calmly, taking a deep breath.

Instead of saying anything else, Riku rushed away from the house and down the street. Curious as a cat, Selphie decided to follow him. She already had one friend disappear and she wasn't about to let another disappear without her saying goodbye. After about a mile, Riku and Selphie found themselves at the beach. She watched Riku as he summoned his Keyblade, Braveheart, and held it out towards the ocean. Like Selphie saw with Kairi's Keyblade, she watched a beam of light form at the tip of Braveheart and shoot forward, forming a large portal of light a few yards in front of him.

"Riku? Where are you going?" Selphie asked.

"I'm going to find Kairi." Riku said as he stepped toward the portal.

"N-now?" 

"If it means bringing Kairi back home safely, I'll dive down to the depths of the abyss if I have to."

"Riku…" Selphie placed a hand over her heart. "You promise you'll come back?"

Riku smiled and looked back over his shoulder. "Yeah. We'll all be together again soon. Don't worry. Keep the fort down, okay?"

Selphie smiled and nodded. "Be careful out there!" She waved.

After returning the wave back to Selphie, Riku ran into the portal while gripping his Keyblade tightly. He knew exactly where to go about this and lucky for him, unlike Kairi, he was more experienced with his Keyblade and could use it to travel any world by choice. However, there was still the danger of using it too much considering how much energy it took and there was always the possibility of the darkness interfering . It was always safer to take a ship like Sora, Donald, and Goofy, or to use a Keyblade glider like Terra, Aqua, and Ven all used. Unfortunately, Riku lacked both of those right now, so he was on his own, but that didn't stop him from going after Kairi.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

The flight after Agrabah was rather relaxing. Kairi had already set course for the next world that had a lucky charm piece. It was quite a far ways away, which only confused Kairi considering this meant they had to turn the ship around and head back towards Twilight Town since it was in the opposite direction of that world. Why didn't the tracker send her there first? Naminé and Xion couldn't answer that either. Instead, the trio simply went along with it and took advantage of what the ship had to offer in terms of entertainment for long-term travel.

Kairi stayed in the pilot's seat and concentrated on getting them to the next world safely. Naminé and Xion were situated in front of the flatscreen TV playing video games. Even if Kairi wasn't invested in what they were playing because she was busy flying, she could tell by the exchanges that it was getting intense and competitive. So far, Naminé had proved to be the most competent gamer between her and Xion. Normally, Kairi would've jumped in and played, but if she could be honest, she wasn't in the best of moods. There was something she had remembered from Agrabah that was lurking in her mind.

"You're not winning this time, Xion!" Naminé taunted as they continued to play.

Xion grunted as she mashed the controller buttons. "Come on! Do the fireball! Do the super combo! DO SOMETHING!" She raged before finally groaning and throwing the controller at her losing to Naminé .

"Yes! I win!"

"How about 4 out of 7?" Xion asked, sighing in defeat.

Naminé snickered. "Later, kid! We should let Kairi play!"

"Huh?" Kairi asked, snapping out of her thoughts. "Oh, it's okay. You two have fun. I'm fine with just piloting."

Xion got up from the chair and walked over to Kairi, resting a hand on her shoulder. "You okay? You've been really quiet for the whole trip since we left."

Kairi flipped the ship into autopilot mode and leaned back in her seat."I was just thinking...about what Genie had said." She pulled out the lucky charm and gazed down upon it. "He mentioned something about how even if he could bring back Sora, he might not be the same Sora...what does he mean by that?"

"Maybe Genie was just afraid of using his magic for that and messing something up?" Naminé suggested. "I wouldn't call my ability to manipulate Sora's memories 'magic', but I know that powers on that level are more complicated than they are made out to be. I remember being afraid the entire time that something would happen to Sora while I was trying to fix his memories and he would never be able to wake up because of it." She began to twiddle with her hands as she held her head low. "Technically, I did mess up, because when Sora's memories of you found themselves inside of Xion, that's when the process took much longer than it should've."

Xion sighed, leaning against one of the ship's consoles. "I wasn't much help in that regard either. Roxas and Axel had taken me in...and the longer we were together, the harder the idea of having to sacrifice my life for Sora to wake up became."

"I guess Genie was right about magic not being as simple as it seems…" Kairi muttered. She stared down at her hands as she thought back to the times she had used her own light to save Sora. "The amount of times I've saved Sora from fading away, it had to be the work of some kind of magic that I don't even know much about…"

"Maybe that's part of the strength The Oracle was walking about." Xion suggested as she took an apple and began to munch on it. "She said to find the strength that Sora saw within you."

"But what strength? And what exactly _did _Sora see? He never really mentioned anything like that when we were together."

Xion shook her head. "It's just how guys are. They're not the best at expressing their feelings and emotions, especially around women." She crossed her arms. "In Isa's case, it's Axel he has that problem with, and don't ever expect them to apologize first. They're too stubborn to be wrong and will always wait for you to crack first." 

Kairi sighed and threw her head back. "I guess I shouldn't expect to hear from Riku then." Her eyes stared out into the stars as she could feel her stomach twisting slightly. "On the other hand, he wasn't really himself when I left, so I don't know what to expect from Riku."

"What's wrong with Riku?" Naminé asked.

"We had a fight before I left…" Kairi crossed her arms. "I was so angry that he didn't have any faith in me, and so I ran without saying goodbye." She exchanged looks with both Naminé and Xion. "After hearing Cassim's story, I realized that I'm no better than he was when he left Aladdin and his wife behind to 'make things right again'." She pulled out her gummiphone and stared at the screen. "Riku must be so hurt by the way I went off on him…It's no wonder he hasn't even tried to call or message me."

Suddenly Kairi's phone's ringtone began going off. Who could be calling her right now? She scrambled to pull her phone out of her pocket pouch and answer it. As if destiny had heard her, the exact person she wanted to hear from and see was on the small screen.

"Riku?"

"Kairi!"

Kairi gasped, smiling widely. "Riku! It's really you!"

"I'm glad you picked up, I wasn't sure if you were up to talking or not." Riku heaved a sigh of relief.

"I'm glad you called! I...thought you were still mad at me…"

"Kairi, I was never...I didn't mean to...maybe we should talk?"

Kairi nodded. "I'd like that. How about we meet at Master Yen Sid's tower?"

"I was headed that way, so I'll see you there."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Shortly after hanging up the phone with Kairi, Riku found himself at the end of the portal, which led him exactly to Yen Sid's tower. It was just as he had remembered it the last time he had visited just a few weeks back. Kairi had woken up from her slumber, Riku had spent the whole year searching for clues to Sora's location, and neither of them were satisfied. If anything, they were more confused with the dreams they had kept having, Kairi's being of the world of sea and sky, and Riku's being of a completely different world he had never seen before with a mysterious figure watching him. It was then that Yen Sid recommended they take rest and plan their next step in the search.

Riku took a deep breath as he the image of Yen Sid's tower was engraved into his memories. He dismissed his Keyblade and began climbing the numerous flights of stairs up to Yen Sid's chamber. Memories of the numerous days he spent here, especially during his Mark of Mastery exam, flashed through his mind. It had almost become like a second home. At the top of the stairs, Riku opened the large door to Yen Sid's chamber. While the master was there as expected, there were two other familiar figures that he wasn't expecting to run into that very day.

"Master Yen Sid-Mickey? Aqua?" Riku asked, shocked to see his two friends.

"Riku? What're you doing here?" Aqua asked.

"I was about to ask you the same thing. I thought you were in the Realm of Darkness with Terra and Ven."

Mickey hurried over to Riku. "Glad you're here! I had actually meant to call you days ago, but when I couldn't get a hold of Aqua, I got a little worried and tried to see if I could find her and get in touch."

"If it's about Kairi, don't worry about it." Riku shook his head. "I talked to her earlier today and saw that she was okay. That was originally why I came here."

"Good! Kairi seemed worried about you the last time I saw her."

"Hmm, that sounds just like her, always worrying about me and Sora."

"Can't really blame her."

Riku snickered and crossed his arms. "What's _that _supposed to mean?"

As if this tower had ears, the door opened just as Riku had made his comment. From within the shadows, Kairi, Naminé , and Xion emerged, a wide smile spreading across Kairi's face as her eyes caught Riku across the room.

"Speaking of which…!" Mickey exclaimed.

"Riku!" Kairi ran forward and leapt into a tight embrace with Riku, leaving him somewhat flustered. First Sora, now Kairi, was Riku just not a hugger or something? "I'm sorry! I didn't mean what I said! I was just-"

Riku smiled warmly and took hold of Kairi's shoulders and looked into her eyes. "I know. I was really harsh on you too, and...I'm sorry…"

"Riku…" Kairi smiled warmly up at him.

Xion tilted an eyebrow. "Did Riku just apologize?" She whispered to Naminé .

Naminé giggled and nodded in response. "I knew Riku had a softer side."

Riku gasped softly as his eyes caught sight of Naminé behind Kairi. "N-Naminé ?"

"Hello, Riku." She greeted him with a soft smile.

"Uh…you look...different..." His face flushed red as he stammered his words, a sheepish grin on his face.

Kairi laughed and leaned over towards Riku. "You look really pretty in your new hair and clothes, Naminé ." She said, lowering her voice and imitating Riku's and earning a laugh from Xion.

"Kairi…" Riku muttered under his breath while Naminé blushed in response, twiddling her hands.

"Don't mind him, Naminé. You know how awkward he always gets around pretty girls." Kairi teased as she jabbed Riku in the arm with her elbow.

"Would you cut it out?" Riku asked, his face flushing red.

"Kairi!" Aqua briskly walked closer to her.

Kairi smiled widely and met Aqua in the middle of the room.. "Aqua! I haven't seen you since you were leaving for the Realm of Darkness with the guys! I'm so glad you're okay!"

"I'm glad to see you're keeping your chin up." She said in a warm tone. "I was always thinking about you, hoping you were doing okay after everything that happened. I'm sorry we couldn't be in touch."

"Don't be. You have nothing to be sorry about. Besides, you were there for a good reason. You guys were searching for..." Kairi trailed off, her smile fading. "Did you happen to find anything?"

Aqua shook her head with a heavy heart. "I'm really sorry, Kairi. I wish there was something more I could do, especially after all that he risked to bring me back to the Realm of Light."

Riku sighed, crossing his arms. "You remember, Aqua. There was no stopping him. He follows wherever his heart takes him, and this time, it was to Kairi, even if it cost him his life."

"I suppose…"

Kairi smiled weakly and placed a hand on Aqua's shoulder. "Sora was really lucky to have such great friends, even if he didn't know you for very long."

"Thank you, Kairi." Aqua looked past Kairi and noticed Xion and Naminé standing in the background bouncing off the balls of their feet. "I remember you two from the island. You're Xion and Naminé, right?"

Xion nodded, flashing a wide smile. "Yep, good to see you again, Aqua!"

"You're looking as strong as ever, Aqua!" Naminé complimented her.

"You're both really sweet, thank you." Aqua's bowed her head before her expression grew serious. "I hate to break up the reunion, but...I need help from all of you."

Kairi lowered her eyebrows and tilted her head. "What's going on?"

"Ven's gone missing!" Mickey announced.

"Whaaaat?" Everyone but Aqua asked in shock.

Riku frowned. "What do you mean he's missing? What happened?"

Aqua sighed, holding her head low. "Well…"

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_The difference between the two different realms of light and darkness were like night and day. Aqua, having already been here once, was constantly reminded of the ten years of anger, sadness, loneliness, and fear she endured when she was here all by herself. Thankfully, Terra and Ven were here with her to pull her out of her dark thought this time. Even Terra had a hard time letting go of the past every now and again, remembering when he allowed Xehanort to possess his heart and nearly costing the lives of his two best friends. The dark and foreboding caves certainly lingered within their thoughts, but with Ven to keep both of them on track, the trio continued their search for anything that could be connected to Sora._

_Unfortunately, even after searching for a year, Terra, Aqua, and Ven's luck was the same as Riku's. They hadn't searched the entire world deep within the dark, and yet, they still made a significant amount of progress. Although, thanks to the feeling of time standing still, it continued to feel like nothing was coming out of the effort they were putting into their search. Having come across a set of caves that appeared to be a safe enough area without any Heartless to to intrude, the idea of allowing the exhaustion to take over their bodies was starting to sound really good to the friends, at least to two of them_.

"_Alright you two, I say we take a rest right now." Terra suggested._

_Aqua nodded. "Good idea."_

"_Oh boy...I'm ready for a rest…" Chirithy sighed as he popped out in middle of the trio. "And for a nice big cup of coffee."_

"_Guys, shouldn't we just keep going? I feel like we're getting close." Ven asked as stared ahead at the path that awaited them._

"_Close to what? We've been searching this place for anything that might have a connection to Sora and we haven't found anything." Terra sighed._

"_We have been here a while." Aqua noted as she brought her knees up to her chest. "I wonder much time has passed in the Realm of Light."_

_Chirithy thought for a moment. "Well, it's a good thing I can feel the passage of time in both realms then. The amount of time passed in the Realm of Light has been one full year."_

_Terra rested a hand under his chin. "Maybe they found Sora by now if it's been that long."_

_Ven shook his head, resting a hand over his chest. "Sora's still gone. Our connection is still really weak. It hasn't changed since the day he vanished from the island."_

"_What did you mean by we're getting close then?" Aqua asked._

"_I'm not sure...I just feel like...this pit in my chest." Ven said softly._

"_Oh, I'm sure you're just hungry." Chirithy said with a sigh._

"_Hey! I'm serious!" _

"_Okay. Let's just rest for a few minutes to replenish our strength and then we can keep going." Terra heavily sighed while stretching out his legs. _

_Ven sighed in defeat as he sat on a boulder, setting his Keyblade down beside him. As much as he wanted to keep going, Terra was right. The Heartless were much stronger in the Realm of Darkness than he was used to and if he didn't rest up, it could lead to worse things for him. The last thing Ven wanted was to not be able to return the favor to Sora and help bring him back home. After ten years of keeping his heart safe, he felt, it was the least he could do, especially with how brokenhearted Kairi was after he vanished. He took out a green potion and started to drink it. _

_Upon the drink travelling through his bloodstream, Ven could already feel his energy starting to work its way back up. Not only was his energy returning, but there was definitely something different in the air. It wasn't something he saw or felt, but something he heard._

_They were voices._

_They weren't just any ordinary voices. Ven stood up as the voices started to sound somewhat familiar. They belonged to teenagers that were around his age and maybe a little older too. Not bothering to let Terra know, Ven followed his gut instinct and started to follow the voices, thinking maybe it was a clue. Whoever these voices were, if they sounded familiar to him, there was a chance they also held a connection to Sora and could point him in the right direction._

"_Huh?" Ven muttered as the voices started to become louder._

_The further through the caves Ven travelled, the more clearer these voices became. Three of the voices belonged to guys while one of the voices belonged to a girl. The voices were definitely ones he had heard before, but he couldn't match a face or a name to them. The more he could understand what these voices were echoing over each other, the more he could see the possible bodies these voices belonged to. Ven gasped as he saw the bodies simply standing in formation with their backs to him on the beach, the end of the path. He could feel the same pit in his chest as he ran closer toward them, and their appearances became much more clear, but remained unfamiliar._

_On the far left, a young man who was tall with long hair that shared its color with a pink rose. On the far left, a young man that had black hair and was the only one who wore a hat. Next to him, a young girl, brown eyes and jet black hair. The last one, right next to the girl, silver shaggy hair, and a red scarf. There was something about these people that Ven knew, and yet, he couldn't pick it from his mind. _

"_Who...are you…?" _

_One by one, each of the figures turned, their bodies shrouding in darkness. The expressions in their faces looked lifeless, and lacked any sort of emotion. Like robots, each of them summoned a Keyblade and pointed it at Ven. He grunted as he stepped back, feeling like his chest was tightening up and his head feeling like a thousand needles were jabbing into his head. If the feeling didn't hurt enough, the words that came out of the figures' mouths added onto the pain._

"_Not one of us…" The figures all mumbled._

_It continued to echo through Ven's mind. What did they mean by this? What were these other words that were echoing in the air? Keyblade war? Book of Prophecies? Master of Masters? What did it all mean? Ven shouted at the top of his lungs before summoning his own Keyblade. If these figures were only here to mess with his psyche, he wasn't going to tolerate it anymore. Ven charged forward only for the figures dematerialized into dark matter and formed into a large pureblood Heartless that wielded two swords, Dark Inferno. The humanoid and muscular Heartless swung at him immediately, knocking Ven down to the ground. Whatever this thing was, it was not messing around._

_Ven leapt back onto his feet and charged back, trying to best the dark creature. He swung his Keyblade only for Dark Inferno to sink into the ground and shoot cosmic orbs of dark matter right at him. This was no ordinary Heartless. If it was, it was definitely a viable opponent thanks to the darkness in the air. Ven dodge rolled out of the way, avoiding the orbs only for Dark Inferno to appear right in front of him and unleash a flurry of slashes right against the poor guy's body. Even with his armor on, Ven couldn't stand against most of what Dark Inferno had in terms of strength. The Heartless zipped around while glowing a blood-red hue and tossed Ven in the air before slamming him into the ground. _

_All while Ven was confronting Dark Inferno, the Heartless decided to show up back at the spot where Terra and Aqua were resting. Swarms of Neoshadows crawled their way around like a colony of ants. Terra and Aqua each summoned their Keyblades. Despite the Neoshadows being stronger than usual, they found themselves strong enough to handle them, especially with Aqua being more magic focused in her combat style and Terra hitting with brute force. Even with them being able to handle the Heartless, Terra couldn't help but notice that this particular swarm was much more aggressive than any others they had encountered so far in the Realm of Darkness. _

"_What's going on?" Terra grunted as a Neoshadow clawed him in the back. _

_Aqua cast a Blizzaga spell at the same Heartless, knocking it back. "I don't think we're here alone. The last time I was here, this always occurred when there was 'extra company'." She gasped as she noticed Ven was missing. "Terra, Chirithy, where'd Ven go?"_

"_I thought he was…Oh no!" Chirithy began shaking his head in distress. "This is not good!"_

"_Something could've happened to him!" Aqua darted through the Heartless and into a more open area. "Ven! Ven!" _

_Terra also called for Ven's name while also finishing off the remainder of the Neoshadows. "Come on! He can't be too far!"_

_Aqua nodded as she followed Terra. There was only one way for them to go at this point in their journey, so they were able to retrace Ven's steps rather easily. Beyond the caves lay the same beach that Aqua came upon the last time she was here, with the same ocean that swallowed her into deep darkness. She and Terra both came to a stop when they reached the beach. There was Ven, lying face down on the sand. His armor was destroyed, leaving cuts, bruises, and a few bloody spots all over his body. _

"_Ven!" Aqua rushed over to his side only for Dark Inferno to appear right between them and slash at Aqua, knocking her back._

_Terra growled as he charged at the Heartless. "You hurt them, and you'll pay for this!"_

_Dark Inferno blocked Terra's attack before countering and sending him back after another flurry of attacks. Even Terra couldn't handle whatever power this Heartless had built up. Terra and Aqua both lay down on the ground unconscious as Dark Inferno reached down and grabbed Ven. Now with Ven in its possession, the Heartless melted back into dark matter, taking the unconscious Keyblade wielder with it. By the time Terra had woken back up, both Ven and Dark Inferno were completely gone. He gasped softly, a pit forming in his stomach as he realized that he couldn't help his best friend. Aqua shifted in the ground, mumbling softly as she woke up._

"_Aqua? Are you alright?" Terra asked as he helped her up._

_Aqua nodded, brushing off her armor. "Yeah, I'll be okay." She looked in front of her, tears welling up in her eyes at the loss of their friend. "Ven...not again…"_

_Terra watched as Aqua held her head low. It seemed like it was only a few days ago that the three were finally reunited after being separated for so long. Now, it suddenly felt like nothing changed. Ven was missing once again, and this time, Aqua had no idea where he was. She took out her Wayfinder, as did Terra, the charms that would keep the trio together, no matter what. It was here that Terra shut his eyes and took in a deep breath, curling his hand over the Wayfinder. He knew as bad as things seemed, deep down in his heart, something told him that Ven was okay and they'd find him again._

"_No, he's not gone." Terra said with confidence. "We're in the Realm of Darkness, so there's only one place he can go from here."_

"_The Realm of Light." Aqua agreed. "We should go back and let everyone know what's going on."_

"_I'll also try and track down Ven's location." Chirithy said as he reappeared. "I can dive into his dreams and trace the connection, but who knows how long that'll take…"_

"_Yeah. I'm gonna start traversing the other worlds he's been to while you gather a search party."_

"_Okay, and Terra…" Aqua cradled his hand in hers. "Be careful."_

_Terra smiled and nodded. "Don't worry. I'm not alone this time."_

_Aqua returned the smile and nodded. Terra transformed his Keyblade into his Keyblade glider and boarded it before opening a gate that would send both him and Aqua back to the Realm of Light. She also climbed aboard her own glider while Chirithy materialized into a little light, ready to dive into Ven's dreams. Aqua wished Terra and Chirithy the best of luck as she traversed into the lanes in between, knowing where she should start off first._

"_Just hang in there, Ven. We'll find you." Aqua softly muttered._

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Mickey nodded, sighing. He folded his arms and tapped his foot. "Unfortunately, I had no idea that Ven was missing, and other than the Heartless returning, I haven't spotted any clues.

"As have I." Yen Sid brought up. "It is very possible that Ven's disappearance could very well be linked to his connection with Sora. I can only believe that based on the sheer fact that the Heartless made an attempt to keep you and Terra separated from him." He nodded his head. "Indeed, it would be in your best interest to search for Ven. There is always that possibility that there could be something much larger up ahead than even I'm aware of."

Kairi's jaw dropped slightly as a soft gasp escaped her. As soon as Yen Sid brought up the idea of 'something much larger', she thought back to the figure that she saw in Agrabah. It could've been easy to ignore this figure except for she still wore the same coat as the Organization and also wielded a Keyblade. If Kairi was going to bring it up with everyone, this was going to be the time, while everyone was together, and before anything could get worse. With Ven missing, this only made Kairi question if maybe this figure had any connection to it.

"Master, Riku, Aqua, Mickey, there's something you should know." Kairi folded her hands in front of her. "We saw someone, but it wasn't just any normal person. They were wearing a _black _coat."

Riku's eyes widened as he softly gasped. "A black coat? You mean like an Organization coat?"

Xion nodded. "Yes, it was identical to the ones worn in the Organization. I could never mistaken those."

"Kairi, what do you know about this person?" Aqua asked, her voice filled with concern.

"Not much, I'm afraid. All I was able to find out was that they were female and they could wield a Keyblade."

"Female? And could wield a Keyblade?" Riku muttered to himself. "That's new…"

Mickey frowned, putting a hand to the side of his head. "This can't be good…"

"Do you know something, Your Majesty?" Naminé asked.

"I'm afraid not." The confused king paced back and forth. "But it doesn't make any sense...Sora, Donald, and Goofy battled and defeated Xehanort already, and then all of us as a team defeated the rest of the seekers. That coat is only worn by members of Organization XIII. None of them survived…" Mickey took a look around at five other confused faces in the room. "Right…?"

"If there were any survivors, they wouldn't have let Sora chase after Xehanort. They would've attacked us either before or after Xehanort struck down Kairi." Riku mentioned. He raised an eyebrow before turning and facing Xion. "You were a survivor though."

Xion nodded. "You're right, but keep in mind, I was never defeated."

Aqua frowned, shaking her head. "Something really doesn't seem right. If the Heartless are anything to go by, this might be much more than just Ven going missing."

Mickey nodded with affirmation. "Then it's a good thing I was planning on looking into where the Heartless were stemming from. Riku, Aqua, you both should come with me. We have to get to the bottom of this before it gets worse!"

"What about Terra? Is he out looking for Ven?" Riku asked.

Aqua nodded her head. "He's searching the different worlds Ven has been to. He thought I should gather up a search party and let everyone know what happened. Chirithy is also trying to track Ven's location."

"What about Axel? Roxas? Think they might know something? They were once in the Organization!" Mickey suggested.

Xion shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure. Axel would know more than Roxas if he even knows anything at all. He was was more 'friendly' with the big guys."

Riku thought for a moment. "Sounds like we might have a couple leads to go off of. We should ask Axel and Terra about what all went down behind the scenes in the Organization." He suggested.

Mickey nodded in agreement. "Even if Axel was in the _old _Organization and not the one we fought recently, something tells me that Xehanort carried over their old tricks."

"What about Ven?" Aqua asked.

"We can look for Ven too. Since we have no idea where he could've disappeared off to, we can look more into this 'hooded figure' and see if we can find any clues regarding Ven's disappearance." Riku said. He held out his hand and summoned Braveheart. "Master, whatever we have ahead of us, I'm ready."

Yen Sid nodded and smiled. "I thought you'd say that, as I would expect from a Keyblade master." He held out his hand and what appeared to be a silver and navy blue pauldron made of iron and a charm in the shape of a dragon's face appeared on the table. "These are for you."

Riku stepped closer to the table and picked both items up. "What do they do?"

"Place the pauldron on first." Aqua said with a knowing smile on her face. He did what he was told and slipped it onto his left shoulder, shrugging and having no idea what to do next. "Now, press it!"

With a confused look on his face, Riku pressed on pauldron. Suddenly, his body began to glow in a bright light, earning baffled looks from everyone in the room. When the light faded away, Riku stood firmly in the center, clad in a silver and navy blue armor, the coloration looking similar to Aqua's. Riku held his hands and arms out and turned his whole body around, getting a good look at his new armor. His reaction? Nobody knew at first because his face was concealed by a helmet that resembled a dragon's face. Mickey and Aqua gasped in response while Naminé , Xion, and Kairi's eyes all widened Riku's new look. He looked like a completely new person. In a way, Riku also felt like a new person in his armor.

"Whoa!" Kairi marveled.

"So, I have a Keyblade armor now?" Riku asked. He snickered. "Don't I feel official now."

Yen Sid nodded. "Yes, this armor will protect you from darkness, wherever your journey may send you. Should you journey to the Realm of Darkness like your previous endeavor, this armor will show much improvement over your clothes." He looked over at Mickey, who looked at him with innocent eyes. "Mickey." He held out his hand and another pauldron and charm appeared. "The same goes for you. Use your armor for traversing the worlds."

Mickey took the pauldron and placed it over his tiny left shoulder before taking the wing charm. "Thank you, Master!"

Riku bowed out of respect. "Yes, thank you, Master."

Kairi stepped forward. "Wait, what can we do to help? I don't want to just sit to the sidelines and let my friends risk their lives."

"We appreciate the offer, Kairi. But, your mission is to try and save Sora, so you should focus on finding those charm pieces." Mickey suggested.

Riku snickered and nodded. "Don't worry, we'll handle the _dirty _work. You focus on trying to save Sora."

"R-Riku...you mean you…"

"I have faith in you. Just...try not to be reckless. I know you picked up some quirks from Sora."

Kairi put her hands on her hips and pouted. "Like what?"

"That, for example." Riku poked Kairi's pouting cheek, earning laughs from everyone in the room. She sighed and flashed a guilty smile.

Aqua giggled before taking a look around at everyone. "Is everyone ready?"

Once Aqua received affirmative nods from everybody, she bowed her head to Yen Sid, followed by everyone else. Yen Sid sent them off with what could only be a proud grin. He always admired everyone's courage and determination, no matter how tough the road ahead may seem, and this time around was no different. Like anybody else, Yen Sid could only hope that Kairi and the girls can be successful in saving Sora and Riku, Aqua, and Mickey can be successful in saving Ven.

When everyone stepped outside, it was almost time to goodbye and part ways. Thanks to Chip 'n Dale's gummiphones, both parties could stay in touch with each other while separated. Did that lower each other's worry? Of course not, but it was better than having no idea how or where everyone was. Considering that Kairi was also going to be on the lookout for clues revolving around Ven's disappearance, this would come in handy in case either party came across a new lead. Before anyone could leave, there was one thing that Kairi, Xion, and Naminé were all interested in seeing first, Riku's new Keyblade glider.

"Let's try it out." Riku said as he held out Braveheart.

Everyone watched as Riku tossed Braveheart into the air, allowing it to transform into a Keyblade glider that resembled a speeder bike. The girls gasped as the speeder bike flew itself from above and back down to the same level as everyone and parked right next to Riku. Kairi thought it was amazing. It was almost like it had a mind of its own, but knew who it belonged to. She stepped closer and admired the metallic finish on the speeder bike. The color was one that matched Riku's armor, which would also come in handy when traversing the dark skies.

"Wow, I want one of these." Kairi said as she ran her hand against the speeder bike.

"So do I!" Xion nodded.

Naminé raised her hand. "And me!"

Riku chuckled before petting Kairi on the top of her head. "You'll get one in due time." He moved closer towards Naminé . "As for you, this might be a little dangerous." 

"How cute, Riku is trying to be protective over you." Xion teased.

Riku grunted, his face blushing. "N-no, you've got the wrong idea! Naminé is just...and this is…" He stammered.

"Save your energy, Riku, You've got a long journey ahead of you." Kairi laughed.

"Yeah? Well, so do you." He looked over at Naminé, a warm look in his eye. "Be careful out there, okay?"

Naminé returned the warm smile and nodded. Despite Riku's face being covered by the draconian helmet, she could see the glimmer in his eye when he spoke to her. "I will." She placed a hand over her heart. _Especially with you watching over me._

Aqua pressed against her pauldron and threw her Keyblade up before it transformed into a bow and platform glider. "Riku, Mickey, let's go. Ven's waiting for us." She hopped onto her glider.

"You got it!" Mickey threw up his Keyblade and watched as it spun back and transformed into a rocket-powered jetpack. He also pressed a gloved hand over his pauldron and caused his red and silver armor to form, his helmet donning the same famous ears he was known for. "Everybody be safe out there! And if you see or hear anything about either Ven or that figure, you let us know, okay?"

"Got it!" Kairi nodded affirmatively before turning back to Xion and Naminé. "Come on, you two! We've got a lot more pieces to find!"

Everyone said their goodbyes before Aqua, Mickey, and Riku all took off with their Keyblade gliders and Kairi, Xion, and Naminé all transported back to their gummi ship to continue on to their next destination. Both parties had long journeys ahead of them, and this was only the beginning.


	14. Six and Seven

Chapter 14: Six and Seven

Deep in the lost woods of an unknown world, a lone castle sat, surrounded by what anyone could describe as a breathtaking landscape. The wind that blew through the hidden meadow sent flower petals of various colors swirling through the air, all while carrying mist created by a rushing river crashing along multiple rocks that lined the edge. At first glance, nobody would have guessed who lived here. On the outside, it looked like something out of a storybook. Yet, like most fairy tales, appearances could be deceiving. For the contents within the castle, were anything but.

Behind the castle doors was nothing more than a secret base. It was a base for five powerful Keylade wielders, four of them being "The Lost Masters", also known as The Foretellers, from generations past. Each of them bore an animal mask, fitting their destiny and hiding their true identities, never once revealing even during their own time. Ira, the one who bore the unicorn mask, was clearly the leader, and while that didn't always sit well with the other three, this wasn't the time to debate over leadership. These four Keyblade Masters were in what they would describe as an unfamiliar world, one incredibly difference from theirs. If transcending time against their will weren't enough, there was one member that was missing.

Ira stood over by the window while the additional Foretellers stood (or in the case of Gula, the one who bore the leopard mask, sat) around the round stone table in what could only be a chamber where group meetings were held. It had only been a few days since they were summoned to the present time by their fellow apprentice, Luxu. Despite his promise in the Keyblade Graveyard to explain everything, he had yet to hold up his end. Instead, he brought him to this castle and left them to ponder and question just exactly what Luxu's intentions were.

"Ira, what are we doing here?" Aced, the one who bore the mask of the bear, asked. Out of all the Foretellers, he had grown the most impatient at getting answers.

Ira, with his arms crossed, stared out towards the field. "Our world has changed…"

"I can see that."

Invi, the one who bore the mask of the snake, sighed and shook her head. "The worlds are no longer connected like they once were…" She looked outside at the dull sky. "There's darkness lurking within."

"Do you think that's why Luxu brought us here?" Gula asked, sitting on the table and his legs swinging back and forth.

"It's apparent that a Keyblade War has happened, and we weren't there to stop it." Ira stated with disappointment in his voice. "We must right the wrong that has occurred in this world, given the chance we have."

Aced crossed his arms. "And just how do you expect us to accomplish that?" He growled, raising his voice. "We couldn't even all make it here!"

"Ava…" Gula muttered.

Invi stepped up. "Regardless of why Luxu has brought us here or what plan we develop, we still have our roles to fill that Master gave to us."

"Which means we may still have a traitor among us." Ira added in.

Gula groaned and hopped off the table. "Forget the traitor! Right now, it doesn't matter! The war has happened, and as Invi said, there's darkness lurking about. We may have failed once before, but there's no saying that we can't try to right the wrong that has been done in this world."

"I wouldn't be talking." Aced growled. "Need I remind you of the Lost Page?"

"That's enough, Aced." Ira demanded in a stern voice. "What's in the past has been done, and it can't be undone. Just like how the Book of Prophecies continues with every flip of a page, time continues to flow. We're in the present time now, and now, Luxu has brought us here for a reason. At this rate, the master's prophecy will come true. We have to restore balance to the world." His eyes scanned the room, eyeing each of his fellow comrades. "The Master has given us our roles and though he may not have much faith in us preventing this prophecy from coming true, Gula is right. We have to try."

"That's exactly what I like to hear!"

From around the corner, the Foretellers were greeted with the presence of a tall hooded figure. He walked in with a sense of confident swag. It was very familiar to each of them. The identity was only further solidified when he smoothly removed the helmet, revealing a sneering man with an eyepatch over his right eye that complimented his menacing appearance. The smaller hooded figure that accompanied him was not familiar to the Foretellers at all.. She kept rather close to him, almost like a child sticking close to their parent. Despite her stirring up the Foretellers' curiosity, their prime concern was Luxu answering whatever questions they had.

"Luxu!" They greeted him in unison.

"Make up your mind already and choose a name. Can't afford to confuse things any further than they already are." He paused, before snickering. "Lucky for you, I'm kinda getting used to being called by my original name."

"Luxu, what has brought us to this world?" Invi asked.

"And why wasn't Ava with us?" Gula asked, scowling.

Luxu scoffed. "The case of Ava? Beats me. The women I encounter always seem to disappear. I wonder why."

"That's a tough one to answer." Aced answered sarcastically.

"No worries. Got the perfect replacement for her anyway." Luxu stepped out of the way, revealing a hooded figure with a feminine build.

"And...who is this?" Ira asked.

"Oh yeah, my bad. She seems to be acting shy for whatever reason." Luxu looked down at the figure, who was considerably shorter than him. "Come on, kiddo. Let's remove that hood of yours. Let's let our friends get _nice _good look at you."

The figure hesitated at first before removing the hood. Her face was concealed by a helmet that resembled a panther. Her hands trembled as she gripped the zipper of the coat and pulled it down, allowing her to shed the leather coat that concealed the armor she was wearing. The Foretellers all studied her before exchanging confused looks with one another.

"And...how does this serve as a replacement for Ava?" Invi asked.

"I _could _tell you, but that's a secret." He rested his hand over the figure's back. "For now, you can call her Seven. Haven't named her yet. She's still getting the hang of things. Although, she didn't do too bad in her first battle today." Luxu's hand traced idly up and down her back. "But there's always room for improvement, right?" He asked her.

"Yes." She softly responded.

"You say she's Seven? Where is the sixth?" Aced asked. "And what was this about numbers?"

"Oh him? You just wait until I'm finished! Got a couple _finishing touches_ first."

Luxu strolled down the long hallways of the castle and down towards what could only be described as a large laboratory, very reminiscent of Ansem's lab in Radiant Garden. If the large computer wasn't enough, then the capsule to the side was enough to know that Luxu was deeply committed to this secret project he was working on. He walked up to the large computer and began rapidly typing on the keyboard. To the average joe, it looked like a bunch of mishmash that couldn't be deciphered. To the computer genius like Luxu, it could all be described in on magic word: data. The curiosity of Seven peaked when she noticed that the capsule was hooked up to the computer.

Seven walked up to the capsule and peeked into it. It was the most peculiar thing she had ever seen. The capsule was filled with water and inside of it was a body that was floating in the water in a straight up position. Her eyes studied the hands before looking down at her own. She noticed that this body had hands and fingers much like hers. It made her want to study the body more. Seven's eyes scanned up until they came across the face of the body. Yet, she was confused. This face was blank. It didn't have eyes, ears, or hair. It only included a nose and a blank mouth. It fascinated her like a child who just saw a dragon appear right in front of his eyes.

"Almost there, buddy…" Luxu muttered.

Seven placed her hand on the capsule. "Who is that?"

"Him? That's gonna be your partner! Isn't that exciting?"

"Partner?"

"Of course!" Luxu cracked his knuckles after typing one more key. "You should be thanking me. I actually created a friend for you."

"Friend...thank you, Master."

Luxu wrapped his arm around Seven and ran his hand up and down her arm. "Of course, you'll always be my _special _friend. Think of him as a placeholder, a _replica_, if you will. It's just that I'm a busy guy and that first battle was...good. I need you to be _great_. This new friend I'm making for ya is gonna help ya!"

"Your happiness is all I wish for, Master." Seven softly said, her head turned from him.

"Perfect! Now, I just have to get this final ingredient, and then he'll be ready for completion."

Seven pressed her hand against the glass of the capsule. "You said he was Six, just like I'm Seven."

"Well he _was _Six, but I think I got a name for him now." Luxu shrugged. "Now, if you'll excuse me, duty calls. Be a good girl until I get back now!" He sneered as he backed out of the room, flipping his hood back up.

Picking up his pace, Luxu left Seven behind in the lab. The last thing he needed was her following to what was arguably the most secretive chamber in the castle. The door was even secured by an identification scanner. Luxu reached into his hood and plucked out one of his dark hairs. He held it in front of a scanner until the button turned green and opened right up, but not into the chamber. Instead, it opened up into another set of long hallways. It was almost as if Luxu was absolutely keen on keeping this room a secret from everyone, especially The Foretellers. Once he reached the second door within the long hallways, Luxu removed a glove from his hand before taking a needle from his pocket, and pricking the index finger. He squeezed it until a drop of his blood dropped into a vial that was scanned and identified as him.

Now with the doors open, Luxu walked into a room that had a number of machines in them, including a console with a number of buttons. It was initially dark at first, so with the flick of the switch, lowlights flickered on, revealing that the machine that was in front of his very eyes, was one that was designed to restrain humans. In fact, there was already one restrained that proved just how useful this machine was. He was young, about 16-17, and looked like he had just experienced a really intense fight thanks to the bruises and dried blood across his arms and face. Despite holding his face low, his blonde spiky hair retained its lack of gravity, and was so familiar to anyone that it prevented him from ever going into hiding from any of his enemies, including Luxu.

"Wakey! Wakey! Wakey!" Luxu jested. "Time for poor little Venny-poo to wake up from his nap!" He snickered as Ven weakly cracked his eyes open.

"Where...where am I…?"

"That's not important, at least, not as important as _why _you're here." He crossed his arms and shook his head. "What are the odds? The one person I need to complete my project is the one I was hunting down for to begin with!"

Ven shook his head, getting a hold of himself. "What're you talking-?" He gasped as he frantically looked around. "Wait! Where are my friends? Terra? Aqua? Chirithy? What have you done to them?"

"Chill out! I don't need 'em!" Luxu held his hands up. "Make yourself at home in the meantime, you comfortable?"

"Not really."

"I'm impressed, you really _don't _remember me, do you?"

Ven rolled his eyes. "Is this a trick question?"

"You haven't changed a bit. I'm a bit hurt. How could you forget me, Luxu, one of the master's apprentices?"

"Luxu...that name…" Ven muttered to himself. "I...I can't remember…"

"As if!" Luxu shrugged his shoulders and walked over to the side of the capsule where a console was. "Oh well."

"What do you want from me?" Ven asked, gritting his teeth.

"I'm gonna explain this to you as simple as I can. You have something that you've held onto for many years. And now, quite frankly, I need it! Got it?"

Ven struggled against the iron restraints that held him tight. "I don't care what your intentions are! Get me out of this thing!"

"How cute, you're still trying to act tough…" Luxu pressed a button, causing what appeared to be a helmet to lower onto Ven's head and restrained it.

"Luxu! Why are you doing this?" He asked, struggling once again.

"Quit worrying your cute little self and relax! It won't hurt a bit!" Luxu snickered as he pressed a button, causing Ven to be electrocuted by small lightning bolts. "Whoa! Whoopsie-daisy! Wrong button! Don't mind me, I'm blind in one eye. You should ask your friend Terra about that, he'll definitely remember that. Now let's see...here's the button! But wait, just one more time!" he pressed the electrocution button one more time, this time out pure pleasure in watching Ven suffer from the painful shocks shooting through his body. "Sorry, you just sound funny when you cry in pain. Anyway, let's do this for real this time!"

Luxu cracked his knuckles before finally pressing on the right button. This time, the helmet that was lowered onto Ven's head lit up and began vibrating as data was extracted from inside his mind. Despite not being electrocuted like before, it was still a process that caused major pain and discomfort to him inside. It felt like someone was literally drilling into his skull to uncover his memories. Ven gritted his teeth, trying to not to express anymore pain. The more Luxu worked his torturous ways on him, the more painful it felt, like knives stabbing into his head. Ven finally cried out in pain, echoing throughout the chamber, but now enough for anyone outside to hear. .

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

The hours passed as Luxu typed on the computer, the last of what was needed to complete his replica. Once he had finished typing, he pressed on a key, causing the data to be transferred over to the floating body inside the capsule. Seven watched with interest as she saw that the blank male body began to take shape. The torso started to build up some muscle, same went for the legs. The hands started to bulk up, which baffled Seven. Who would have such bulky hands like his? Then came the face, which she couldn't stop staring at, but her gaze was cut off short by Luxu escorting her out of the room so that the replica wouldn't feel so overwhelmed when he first woke up.

Once Luxu had finished watching his creation emerge from the capsule like a father watching his son take his first steps, he was ready to present this replica to the Foretellers. He, too, was clad in armor and a helmet that resembled a badger, taking on the same pattern that Seven and The Foretellers had all taken with their masks. The armored lad proceeded into the chamber where The Foretellers waited and held out his arm, a Keyblade summoning in his hand with the snap of a wrist, and eliciting soft gasps from everyone else in the room. They knew Luxu was working on a secret project, but didn't realize that this project included another Keyblade wielder like Seven.

"And here he is! What do you think?" Luxu held his arm out, presenting the replica.

Aced sighed. "He doesn't look that much different from Seven over there."

Luxu waved his hands. "Whoa! You know he has a face underneath his helmet too, don't you? I just think it's more fun to keep the kids in suspense." He nudged the replica forward. "Go on, kiddo! Tell 'em your name!"

"Eh...okay. Hey, I'm Aros and…." He stammered at the end. "Eh...that's all I got! It's not like I have 16 years worth of life or something!"

"And a sense of humor! Who knew?" Luxu gripped the top of Aros' helmet. "So, what do you think?"

The Foretellers looked at each other before Ira slightly shrugged his shoulders. "Well, I suppose he works just fine, but how does this explain why you have brought us to this world?"

Luxu brushed past Ira and looked out the window into the meadow. "This world has been connected, tied to the darkness. And not just this one, _all_ of them." He turned around and eyed each one of the Foretellers. "Let me enlighten you with a riddle. For every darkness, there's always a…?" He paused, waiting for one of them to answer.

"Light?" Gula guessed.

"Bingo! Always knew you were the smart one here!"

"That's debatable." Aced scoffed.

Luxu paced back and forth. "So, for every darkness, there's a light. The simple answer is to retain the balance of the worlds, reconnect the worlds into one." He let out a chuckle as he leaned against the wall. "You know what separated this world into many, right?"

Invi nodded. "Yes, the rise of darkness."

"Exactly, so there's your answer! If we're gonna reconnect these worlds, you're gonna need all the lux you can get. It's gonna take time, but hey, we're not doing too bad right now." Luxu snickered and threw his arms in the air. "In fact, take some time to recuperate, make yourselves at home. Things around here are different from what they were all those years ago."

"Luxu, are you implying that we sit idly by and do nothing?" Ira asked.

"Wow, you're making it sound like a bad thing to just relax. Well, it's up to you, really! I would jump into a vacation in a moment's notice, but I've got someone under the radar that I need to keep an eye on, so no can do."

Aros chuckled. "Well, Master, surely a little time tanning in the sun wouldn't hurt, right?"

"Kid, you accomplish your mission, and you can tan all you want!"

"Tubular!" He pumped a fist in the air before walking out of the room, leaving Luxu behind. "Come on! You gotta give me my mission! I wanna hit the waves before the winter solstice!"

Luxu scratched the back of his head. "Okay...maybe he's got a few kinks I gotta work out, but isn't he great or what?"

Leaving the Foretellers still confused about what was his intentions were, Luxu walked the long halls of the castle with Aros by his side. During the entire time, he went over Aros' mission with him. What was his mission? That was also a secret that Luxu refused to share with anyone. This was exactly what bothered the Foretellers. It seemed like everywhere they turned, Luxu had a secret, but they had no choice but to trust him considering the circumstances at hand and the fact that both Ava and their master were missing.

Luxu, on the other hand, stuck to his guns. He led Aros down to a room where Seven was told to wait while Aros was emerging from his capsule for the first time. Seven paced back and forth, feeling restless and confused about why she was ordered to wait in this room all by herself. Her head popped up at the sound of the door opening. She noticed Luxu stepping in, but noticed Aros even more. Even if the last time Seven saw him, he was a developing body, she new right then and there that this was the replica Luxu had made. She was fascinated and intrigued that the lifeless body she saw only hours ago was now walking and acting like a normal human being.

"You understand your mission now, right?" Luxu asked.

Aros nodded. "Yeah."

"Good, now this here, is your partner." He held an arm out and allowed Seven to step forward. "She's gonna follow ya around for a while, okay?"

"Whatever you say, boss."

Luxu chuckled. "Now, go ahead and get to know each other a little before you go. Aros, she's for you to look after while out on the missions. In the meantime, I've got some errands to run." He held up a hand and caused a dark portal to appear. Luxu strided forward and disappeared without a trace, leaving Aros and Seven by themselves. Taking advantage of the time he had alone with her, Aros walked closer towards Seven and placed his hands on his hips.

"So, Master says you're my partner." He confidently said.

Seven looked her face away. "Y-yes, he did."

"Who are you?"

"I'm...I'm...I don't know…"

Aros shook his head. "I meant your name."

"Seven…"

"That's...not a name...that's a number."

"What's the difference?"

"You're not human, are you?" Aros asked, crossing his arms.

Seven held her head low. "I...I don't...know…"

"Pfft, you'd have to be a complete ditz to not know that…"

"I am NOT a ditz!" Seven yelled as she summoned her Keyblade and pointed it towards Aros.

"Whoa! I wasn't referring to you!"

Seven snickered. "Please, unlike you, I wasn't born _today_." Aros held his head low, his shoulders shaking from soft laughing. "What?" She asked harshly.

"Sorry." Aros shook his head. "That was funny."

"Funny? I wouldn't consider me defending myself a joke. Now, if you _really_ want something to laugh at, I know exactly where to shove this Keyblade." Seven threatened.

"Wow…"

"Now what?"

"Funny _and _feisty? I like that in a woman." Aros snickered as he leaned against the wall.

Seven tilted her head to the side. "I...don't understand…"

"Eh, forget it. I wasn't brought here to pick up a lady anyway. I already know the girl I'm searching for…"

"Who?"

"Nobody you'd be interested in. You might get jealous." Aros shrugged before throwing his arms behind his head.

"Why do I bother? You don't make sense…"

"Well, duty calls. But...I suppose I can do you the favor of getting rid of that stupid name the master gave you."

Seven dismissed her Keyblade before running her hand up and down her arm. "What will you call me then?"

"Eh...uh…" Aros placed a hand behind his head and looked around, trying to look for anything that could give him inspiration for a name. "I'm...hehe...not that great at names…"

Aros' face scrolled around until it focused outside a window at the night sky. There was a full moon and shown in the reflection of his helmet. For some reason, it reminded Aros of a story, but how could he remember a story? He had never heard a single one. It was only his first day in full fruition. While his mind should've been overwhelmed with all the new sights, sounds, and smells he was experiencing this day, he wasn't. If anything, he was calmed by them. Aros stared at the moon. There was something about it that drew him to it. Was it its sparkling silver color? Was it the way it reflected almost perfectly off the water? Or was it the way it cast a shining glow on Seven as she stepped closer towards him.

"Kaguya…"

"Hm?" Seven looked over, as if she were responding to someone calling her own name.

"She's from a story I heard before. Kaguya's a princess who came from the moon and was raised by humans on a world like this one. When she's much older, her real family comes back and takes her back." Aros put a hand under his chin. "It's weird though. I haven't been here for very long, but oh well." He shrugged his shoulders before gasping, throwing his head back up and looking at Seven. "Kaguya! That's your name!"

"My name…?"

Aros threw his arms behind his head. "Yeah, forget that stupid number the master gave you. Your name is Kaguya now, okay?"

"Okay…"

"Can you say it back?" Aros asked tilting his head to the side.

"K-Ka-gu-ya...Ka-g-ya...Kaguya…" She repeated a few times.

"Good, now what's your name?"

"Kaguya."

Aros chuckled. "Good girl. Now, pretty sure the master wants to see me. I'll catch ya later, Kaguya." He brushed a hand past her shoulder as he walked out of the room.

"Thank you, Aros…"

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Aced growled as Ira led him and the other Foretellers outside of the castle and into the field. "I can see Luxu hasn't changed much."

"More like, he bears a resemblance to the master. What's he planning?" Invi muttered.

Ira shook his head. "His plan remains unknown. In the meantime, until he summons us again, I propose we go on a search for Ava. If the worlds are disconnected, she could be in any one of them."

"Should we split up?" Gula suggested.

"It'll be for the best." Ira said with a nod.

"How will the rest of us know if one of us finds Ava?" Aced asked.

Invi thought for a moment before stepping forward with a suggestion. "Our spirits. If Ava is found, then we'll summon our Chirithy to bring the news to the rest of us."

Ira nodded in agreement. "Very well, then."

Receiving nods of agreement from Gula and Aced, Ira summoned his Keyblade, followed by the other three. Each of them held it above their heads, summoning portals that would transport them between worlds. Each of them faded away, one by one, until it was only Gula left standing in the field. As much as he was concerned about restoring the world's balance, his first concern was Ava and her safety. He hadn't seen her before they were all summoned to the present by Luxu and the last time he had seen her, she was going off to train The Dandelions, a group of highly skilled Keyblade wielders who were trained to retreat the other worlds should and retain their light should a Keyblade war occur. Gula couldn't help but wonder if The Dandelions were successful considering the Keyblade War had definitely occurred based on the state the world was in.

Walking through the field and over to what appeared to be a beach, Gula stopped at the sea's edge and looked out towards it. He wondered what happened to the beautiful world he once lived in, what happened to the light, and how did it come to this? Why did Ava not make it to the future? Could their world truly be saved or was it too late? Despite all the questions he had, Gula reached into his pocket and pulled out a bottle that contained a letter he wrote to Ava. He felt deep in his heart that if he and the other Foretellers couldn't find her, that maybe she'd find them. He crouched down and placed the bottle into the ocean, allowing the currents to carry it off towards its destination.

"There are many worlds, but they share the same sky. The worlds are separated, but are connected by the sea. Sky and sea, one destiny."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Back on the gummi ship, Kairi, Namine, and Xion continued onward towards their next destination. Unlike the previous flight where Kairi was the quiet one while Xion and Namine were quite the chatterboxes, now it seemed like Kairi and Namine had switched places. Now, Kairi and Xion were chatting amongst each other about anything to pass the time. Kairi had felt so relieved that she and Riku talked things out and were on good terms. She was also glad to have Riku going along with Mickey and Aqua to help solve the mystery of the hooded figure she encountered, which meant at long as she avoided that figure, Kairi could keep her focus on reassembling the lucky charm to bring back Sora.

Namine, on the other hand, had gone quiet completely. She scrolled through her gummiphone and and looked through the photo album. There were photos on it from the last time Riku had visited her in Radiant Garden. From the outside, nobody would've guessed that Riku could be such a goofball sometimes, especially around girls. It turned out he was quite good at posing for photos and selfies. Namine smiled weakly at the last photo, one where he was resting his arm on Namine's head like an armrest and snickering. He wasn't the touchy-feely kind of guy, so this one was special to her. She eventually reached into the pocket of her vest and pulled a star-shaped charm. It was reminiscent of the charm that Kairi made a couple years back, only this one was an actual star and resembled an actual paopu fruit rather than it being made with thalassa shells.

"Namine? What's on your mind?" Xion asked.

Namine snapped out of her thoughts. "Oh, nothing." She tried to cover up, but not well enough for Kairi to let Namine's charm go unnoticed.

"Hey, what's that in your hands?" Kairi flipped the ship into autopilot and turned in her seat towards Namine. "It looks like a paopu fruit." She studied the charm closely before pulling out her own. "Actually, mine had that same shape too before it was destroyed."

"Well...it's…kinda weird to explain because there's a story behind this that didn't really happen, but I have a memory of it happening, if that makes sense." Namine answered as she folded her hands in her lap and held her head low. "There was a meteor shower one night, and I remember I was standing there, with Riku, watching it. It was the most amazing sight, but it was also kind of scary. I remember asking Riku, 'What if a meteor comes towards us?' Then, he took out his sword and held it out and said, 'If one comes towards us, I'll smack it right back to outer space!' It was that day, that Riku promised to protect me, so I gave him this charm as a token of that promise."

"Oh yeah...I kinda remember that from back when you were inside of my heart."

Namine gripped the charm and held it closer to her heart. "Riku must've given it back to me before he said goodbye…"

Xion tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "But, we just saw Riku…"

"Oh! Sorry, I'm talking about another Riku, a replica."

"Ohhhh…..wait! Didn't we have a Riku replica on the dark side during the Keyblade War?"

Kairi nodded. "Yeah, but that's not the Riku replica we're talking about. There's another one that Namine has a stronger bond with."

"So there's _another _Riku replica?" Xion slowly asked.

Namine nodded. "Yes, and according to the king, there's a data Riku too."

"So there's four Rikus apparently?"

"There were, but now we're done to just one." Kairi said with a soft smile.

"Okay…" Xion stood up and walked over towards the trap door that took them down towards the bathroom.

"Where are you going?" Kairi asked.

"I'm just gonna go take a bunch of aspirin before I find out there are apparently four Soras running around, so I'll be back!"

Namine softly laughed. "Yeah, it does seem weird, but the replica, he felt just as real as a normal human would."

"You must miss him."

"I do. Even if it's been a long time since I've seen him in physical form, there isn't a day that goes by where I don't think about him. I guess that's kind of silly. It's been over a year since he returned to Riku's heart."

Kairi shrugged her shoulders. "Well, when you lose someone special to you, it takes a while to move on, depending on how tight the bond was between your hearts." She placed a hand over her heart. "I still haven't moved on from Sora, and to be honest, I don't even think I ever will, especially when you take into consideration that it was my life that he gave his up for."

"I guess we both have something in common with that. I wish he could've had a chance at a normal life, but….I guess not all of us are lucky enough to have that." Namine sighed as she brushed her fingertips over the charm. "I wish I had the chance to say goodbye...and what happened to him."

Xion had returned just in time to hear Namine's plea. She sat back in her seat and looked upon her friend with sympathetic eyes. "I wish I knew myself...but, how do you know he's gone for good?"

"Right before I woke up in my new body, I felt myself floating in this light, and I could hear a voice, his voice. He placed that charm in my hand and said that no matter what, he'd always be inside my heart. I couldn't even open my eyes to see him. I just knew that after he said goodbye that he was gone…" Namine blinked as a tear formed in her eye. "When I saw Riku after I woke up, I was so happy, but there was always something inside telling me that it wasn't _him_."

"I hate this…" Xion sighed leaning in her seat. "I feel like I'm the only one who didn't lose anyone precious from this war, and I'm sorry for that. Kairi lost Sora and Namine lost Riku Replica."

Namine smiled and shook her head. "You don't have to apologize. You've had your own share of losses too. You just earned your happy ending before us, that's all. It's like Kairi says, there's always a light at the end of the tunnel. It just takes some of us longer to get there. Right, Kairi?"

Kairi studied Namine's hopelessly optimistic face. She could see and feel that deep down Namine was hurting just as much as she was. Sora may have been gone, but at least Kairi got to say goodbye to Sora before he vanished. Namine didn't even have a chance to look into Riku Replica's eyes one more time. Between Riku Replica living inside of Riku's heart and Namine living inside of Kairi's heart, that left no chance or opportunity for the two to be together again, especially with how much time Riku and Kairi had spent apart from each other ever since he and Sora left for their Mark of Mastery exam.

Despite all that, Namine continues to put a smile on her face and says that there's always a bright future to look forward to. It amazed her that someone who had been through as much as she had could have such faith. Then again, Yen Sid did say that Namine had a special connection with Sora too. Maybe this was it? Her optimism did remind Kairi of how Sora always tried to find a way to cheer up anyone that was feeling down, especially if it was her or Riku. It was also contagious, and Namine continued to prove that true. Kairi returned the soft smile and nodded.

"Yeah, you're absolutely right, Namine."

Xion laughed slightly. "I'm actually pretty curious about how different this Riku Replica was from the real Riku."

"Oh, he wasn't much different, really." Namine giggled. "Just like the real Riku, he was…" Her eyes widened as they stared past Kairi and Xion. "Huge…"

Kairi bit down on her lip as she felt an awkward knot for min her stomach. "Eh...Namine...I don't think we need to know _that _much about-"

"No, I mean _that's _huge!" Her voice raised as she pointed out past the two girls and towards the cockpit window.

Kairi looked back and was met with what appeared to be a large monster-like ship that their ship was flying directly into. "Whoa!" She exclaimed as she scrambled to buckle up and take manual control. "Buckle up, ladies! Xion, you fire the cannons! Namine, you fire the lasers!" Kairi gripped the analog stick tightly, ready to take the ship around. "Hang on!"

With a hard jerk of the analog to the right, Kairi managed to avoid colliding with the giant ship, but that didn't stop it from attacking them. It aimed one of its laser arms(?) and began shooting towards the Falcon. Kairi grunted as she saw in her rear view that the ship was attacking them. Here she was hoping to just landing in the next world and continuing on with her search, but it looked like that wasn't happening. As a laser came flying towards them, Kairi pressed on the SHIELD button that caused a force field to form around the ship temporarily while they turned around. After realizing that the ship wasn't going to let them land in the next world without a fight, Kairi called out for the girls to begin firing at the ship as she flew them directly towards it.

Namine, with separate controls for the lasers, aimed at a weak spot in the ship and began firing at it. The ship seemed to take damage, but not much. Xion came in and aimed the canon at a weak spot and began firing towards it, this time taking more damage than it would've from the lasers. Kairi then got the idea to fly even closer towards it and have both girls fire at different weak points at the same time. She grabbed the stick shift on the console and shifted it up a couple gears, allowing Kairi to pick up speed and send them flying even faster towards the ship, avoiding any fires from it.

"Okay girls! Namine you fire at the weak point closest to you, Xion, you do the same!" Kairi called out. "I'll put up the shields if we need to!"

"Firing away!" Namine yelled as she began pressing buttons to shoot the lasers.

Xion gritted her teeth as she aimed her canon at another weak point. "Fire in the hole!"

The enemy ship attempted to move and avoid the damage done by the girls, but unfortunately for it, Kairi was very attentive in following this ship and making sure they didn't lose sight of the weak points. Unfortunately for Kairi, she saw some lasers being fired towards them and reached for the SHIELD button, only to realize that it was caved in and wasn't working! Kairi gasped and panicked, realizing that it was too late for them to try and get out of the way of the lasers. Namine and Xion all watched with panic as the lasers came closer, but it was Namine of all of them, who came up with an idea at the last minute.

"Kairi! Do a barrel roll!" Namine yelled.

Not sure if it was going to do much good, but also knowing she didn't have any room or time to argue, Kairi jerked the analog stick and caused them to rotate 360 degrees and deflect any lasers that were fired at them. This was done a couple times in a before the ship was done at the moment.

"It worked!" Kairi exclaimed.

Namine laughed and gave a thumbs up. "Good job, Kairi!"

"Eh...my stomach…" Xion groaned.

It was getting close, especially when there were flying asteroids that seemed to get in Kairi's way more than she would've liked them too and causing the girls to have to fire their weapons on asteroids instead of the enemy. Kairi performed a backflip, allowing them to avoid an asteroid that flew at them too fast thanks to the enemy ship smacking it with its arm. Just as the girls were starting to feel worn out from the battle and felt like they were running out of options since this ship didn't seem to want to go down, Kairi couldn't help but notice a big blue button that said ULTRA on it. She wondered…

"Namine, aim the laser right at the central weapoint!" Kairi called out.

After taking a moment to aim, Namine nodded, satisfied with its placement. "Okay! We've got it, Kairi!"

"This should be it…"

Kairi pressed the lit up blue button, causing a laser that was about twenty times the width of the lasers they were already using to fire out towards the central weak point. The ship took major damage from the laser and began to fall apart, various pieces plummeting down as if it were defying the laws of anti-gravity in space. The girls briefly celebrated only for their victory to be cut off short by an asteroid hitting the frontal side of the ship, causing it to shake violently. The shock of the impact sent Kairi into a mild panic as she struggled to get the ship back on course. Another asteroid, a smaller one, hit the same spot, causing an alarm to sound off.

"Kairi, what's going on?" Xion asked, panic rising in her voice.

"Uh…"

Kairi scrambled around looking at the different buttons on the console and hoping something would tell her. The EMERGENCY LANDING button was flashing, indicating that the ship had some major damage to it and needed to land immediately. Kairi took a deep breath to get a hold of herself before taking out her Keyblade and pointing it out towards the next world that was right in front of her, not caring if this was a world that contained a lucky charm piece or not. At this moment, her and her friends' safety was at stake. She used her Keyblade to pierce through the world's barrier and open a portal for them to travel through.

"Hang on tight, girls! We're landing right now!"

Xion and Namine both looked at each other with nervous looks on their faces before gripping the arms of their seats tightly. The ship shook violently as it flew directly through the portal, surrounding the ship in a bright light as it broke through the barrier that separated the world from the rest of the galaxy. Kairi kept on silently praying to herself that the ship lands properly, which reminded her to flick a switch that turned the ship on "anti-gravity" mode, which allowed her to bring the ship to a safe stop, but it still floated in the skies high above, not creating a disturbance to the world they were visiting.

Kairi breathed heavily as she turned back to check on her friends. "Is everyone back there okay?"

"I'm okay, Xion?"

Xion groaned and held her stomach. "I think I'm gonna throw up…"

"Well, save that for later. I have to see how badly the ship is damaged." Kairi unbuckled herself and examined the console. Looked like most of it was untouched and that most of the ship's damage was outside, but Kairi's hopes were nearly dashed when she saw that the transporter that they had used to transport between the worlds and the ship was damaged and shorting out. "Oh no...it looks like this might be a problem…"

"Does this mean we can't leave the ship?" Namine asked, concern in her voice.

Kairi sighed, wanting to look at it in greater detail, but not wanting to risk damaging it any further. "I'm not sure. All I know is this is gonna need fixing and I know it's gonna take time for Launchpad, Chip, and Dale to get out here to fix the ship if we call them, which we're gonna have to do anyway."

Xion stood up and began walking towards the back of the ship where the transporter spaces capsules were. "Why don't we try to get off at least? If it's gonna take time, we can try and cover some ground and look for the next seashell piece, which the tracker says is in this world."

"Good idea, Xion." Kairi nodded in agreement. She followed Namine over to the transporter capsules and hopped on one with her before she tapped the button to the side of them and activated it. So far, the transporter seemed to work just fine until, unknownst to them, Xion and Namine were separated from Kairi, which would cause them to land in opposite sides of the world.

What was this new world? Kairi would find out soon enough after waking up from a rough landing on grassy forest grounds.

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**A/N: Phew...this chapter was hard to write considering I know jack about KHUX! Many thanks to Valk on Discord for helping me out with the stuff regarding Luxu and the Foretellers!**


	15. The New World

**A/N: OMG I LOVE YOU GUYS SO MUCH! This fic has surpassed 100 followers! I wish I could personally thank each of you guys for following this fic, but that would take too long and I know you guys wanna move onto the next chapter, but I seriously appreciate everyone who has supported this huge passion project of mine! You guys are the best!**

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Chapter 15: The New World

**It is here, upon these sacred grounds, that the Powhatan tribe tell their story. A story of an unlikely bond formed between two people: a daughter of a chief, and a white man that hailed across the ocean in search of adventure. A story of love, war, and more importantly, how one's heroic deeds saved them all. An outsider, who went searching for love, and found something else, the strength within her own spirit to guide those blind, and show them, that we are one, when we paint with the colors of the wind.**

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The echoing sounds of birds and the tickling sensation of fresh damp grass tickled against Kairi's senses as she slowly shifted her head after what one would call, a bumpy landing. With the teleporter acting funny when she had tried to activate it earlier, she had to expect that it could lead to not landing smoothly on their next destination. Kairi's eyes cracked open to the blurred vision of blades of grass tickling her pupils. She immediately closed them from irritation and groaned from the soreness in her arms, legs, and head.

Kairi sat up, her vision being treated to what could only be described as a forest of towering trees. She was familiar with the small forest right outside of Twilight Town where the old mansion was located, but those woods were nothing compared to this. The trees were much taller and varied in width, thick and thin. She stood up and turned around, realizing that she was surrounded by these trees. The forest was on a much larger scale and there were multiple trails that she could only assume could lead anywhere.

"Where...am I?" Kairi muttered to herself. "Where is…?" Her heart skipped beats as she realized that Xion and Naminé were nowhere to be found. "Naminé! Xion!" She cupped her hands around her mouth and hollered out their names, no response from them. "Guys? Where are you?" She called out once more before shooting her head back and staring straight up. "NAMINE! XION!" Kairi yelled out as loud as she could. Her yell was loud enough to spook a flock of birds that flew out of the trees above her. "Wait!"

Getting a "brilliant" idea, Kairi pulled out her gummiphone in attempt to call Xion. The other line rang, but no answer. She groaned in frustration before attempting to call Naminé on her gummiphone. The phone rang, but once again, no answer. _You're kidding...what's the point of giving gummiphones to them if they're not gonna answer them..._Kairi thought, frustrated that she couldn't get a hold of her missing friends. Crossing her arms and putting her phone away, Kairi looked around, trying to think of a solution. Sora was used to searching out missing friends. She could only wonder how he did it in the past, and in a world that was unfamiliar to him. She had no idea where to begin considering she was in the middle of the woods.

A (somewhat) blessing occurred when Kairi's gummiphone started to ring. She pulled it out of her pouch and answered it immediately, thinking and hoping it was either Xion or Naminé returning her calls.

"Xion? Naminé?"

Launchpad appeared on the screen. "Hey Kairi! Am I calling at a bad time?"

Kairi sighed. "I don't even have any sense of time right now. We had a rough landing here in a new world and now I'm separated from Xion and Naminé."

"So, then it's a great time. The Falcon popped up on our Error Log and we looked into it. It looks like your ship had some damage done to it, including the teleporter. Can you confirm?"

"Yeah, we had a 'fly-in' with a pretty big Heartless ship on our way over. We were lucky enough to make it this far after the damage was done."

"Well, I'm glad you're okay. Have you been able to contact Xion and Naminé?" Launchpad asked after heaving a sigh of relief. Kairi shook her head. "Well, don't give up. In the meantime, the chippers and I have picked up your ship's location and are gonna dispatch a maintenance team to come out and fix your ship, so just hang tight!"

Kairi nodded. "Okay, thanks Launchpad." She hung up her phone and stashed it back in her pouch before stretching her arms out. "Well, looks like I'm stuck here until the ship gets fixed. Might as well look for my friends while I'm at it." Her eyes darted between multiple directions before finally pulling up the compass on her gummiwatch. "Okay compass, tell me where to go. There are too many different directions I can go."

As if the world's environment could hear her asking for guidance, the wind started to pick up in a single direction, causing the arrow on the compass to tilt east. Kairi softly gasped as she saw what appeared to be a stream of colorful leaves floating towards her from deep within the forest. She was used to seeing leaves blow in the wind, but not only were these leaves a variety of different warm and cool colors, but they weren't blowing, they were floating, and in sync with each other. These leaves not only floated towards her, but the wind started to swirl around her, carrying the leaves with it.

It was almost as if the wind wanted Kairi to follow it. She watched as the leaves began to float off east. _Am I supposed to follow those leaves? _Shrugging her shoulders, Kairi followed the floating trail of leaves. As the wind began to pick up in speed and intensity, she began to jog to "keep up with it". Jogging through the woods proved to be harder than what she was used to. Even with jogging through the desert in Agrabah, Kairi was used to running in sand and heat with her living in the island. She found herself having to dodge trees and roots before she finally found an opening out of the woods.

Kairi hurried after the leaves that seemed to float right through the woods' opening. After running through, she found herself having to come to a complete stop right away. The leaves began swirling around her once again before floating off towards the far distance. She stepped forward towards the cliffside she was led to. The island she lived in was nothing compared to the large scale of the cliff she stood on.

"Whooooaaaaaa!" Kairi marveled as she looked over the cliffside and saw a large body of water below her. It reminded her of the ocean back at home, only lacking the salty scent in the air. She also took notice of what was floating in the water. "They're boats...and there's people rowing them! Just like at home!" She smiled widely. "So people live here in this world, good! Maybe they'll be able to help me find my friends!"

Kairi watched as the boats started to circle around the cliffs and follow the water. She figured maybe she could follow the boats and they would lead her to a town or something. The idea was there, the only problem was that it meant she only had so much cliff edge to travel before she had to go back into the woods. After tracing that the water was leading Kairi North, Kairi pulled out her compass and followed the needle as it pointed her North. She carefully hiked through the woods, keeping an eye out for any strange creatures that could pop out at her at any given moment.

After a few hours, Kairi found herself feeling worn out. The uneven terrain was beginning to get to her in addition to not having anyone to talk to, thus making the hike feel like an even longer trip than it should've. It also didn't help that despite how beautiful this forest was, the trees all looked the same to her, so there wasn't a single change of scenery the entire time she traveled. There were occasionally some birds and small furry critters that Kairi noticed every now and then, but nothing even remotely close to human interaction. She finally decided that she needed to take a breather for a few minutes and came to a stop at a more open area.

"How long have I been walking for?" Kairi asked, taking deep breaths and sitting down on a boulder. She pulled up her fitness app on her watch and looked at her distance coverage. "SEVEN MILES?" She asked loudly. "Ugh! At this rate, I'm better off just sitting here and waiting for the ship to get fixed…" Her stomach started to growl. "Kinda hungry. Good thing I still have those snacks Selphie gave me." Kairi reached into her snack pouch and pulled out a fresh peach, biting a decent sized chunk out of it considering the girl hadn't eaten in who knew how long. "How did Sora do this nonstop? I feel so out of shape compared to him." She asked herself, mouth full of fruit. "I hope Xion and Naminé are okay…"

Kairi took her rest time to look around and embrace her surroundings. While she wasn't a fan of being lost in the middle of the woods, she had to admit that she preferred being lost here than back in the Agrabah desert. Not only was the environment so peaceful, but the weather was perfect. It wasn't hot or humid. In fact, it was quite chilly. While Kairi loved the weather back home on Destiny Islands, this was a nice change of pace. In fact, part of her wished she had brought a light sweater with her since this would have been the perfect time to wear it.

"Hm?" The sound of shuffling from her pouch stirred Kairi's attention to right beside her. "Hey!"

Kairi exclaimed at the sight of a chubby gray-furred critter shuffling through her pouch. He popped his head out of the pouch and chittered before backing up, eyes locked with Kairi. The critter didn't seem afraid, but rather curious at who this mysterious girl was and what was in her pouch. Normally Kairi preferred not to have random critters going through her stuff, but considering her island was mostly known for bugs, sea critters, birds, and rodents, aside from the typical domesticated or farmland animals, she found this critter to be rather fascinating, and to actually, quite cute.

"I've never seen anything like _you _before." Kairi giggled as she knelt down to the critter's level. "Let's see what my watch's scanner has to say about you." She held the watch up and allowed the critter to have his data scanned onto her watch. "Hmm...a raccoon, male, about three years old. Well, you seem pretty harmless, and cute!" The raccoon tilted his head to the side at Kairi's compliments. Kairi couldn't help but laugh. "You kinda remind me of someone. He tends to tilt his head like that too!" She reached into her pouch and pulled out one of Selphie's peanut butter cookies. "You must be hungry too. Here, try one of Selphie's cookies. It's peanut butter, not that you would know what that is."

As Kairi held out the cookie, the raccoon stepped forward, his nose twitching and taking in the scent of both her and the cookie. Remembering what she was taught by her parents about interacting with strange animals, Kairi stayed perfectly still while the raccoon explored her. Before she could have time to react, the raccoon stood on his hind legs and swiped the cookie out of her hands and began taking large nibbles out of it. Kairi couldn't help but laugh. He even ate the cookies at a fast rate just like Sora did.

"You like?" She asked. The raccoon purred with his cheeks stuffed with cookie. He quickly finished the cookie and then tilted his head to the side while standing his hind legs, as if he were begging for another. "Well, Selphie, good to know your cookies are good enough that even a raccoon will eat them." She muttered as she pulled out another cookie. "Okay, I'll give you another one, but you have to do something for me first." The raccoon's ear twitched, curious about Kairi's task. "I got separated from my friends. They are two girls, about my height, one of them has black hair. Have you seen anyone like that?"

The raccoon put a paw up to his muzzle and thought for a moment. His eyes suddenly dilated as he quickly shook his head while chittering. Kairi smiled widely as she stood up and watched him turn and begin scurrying away. She held an arm out, concerned that he was leaving her behind, only for that fear to be dissipated when the chubby critter turned back and waved Kairi over. _Whoa! Does he actually know? What a smart critter! _Kairi laughed as she began to jog and follow the critter over to another part of the woods. It was a struggle trying to keep up while also dodging trees, roots, and shrubs. Yet, he was a natural at slipping and sliding through this forest like it was nothing.

Kairi came to a stop as soon as the raccoon came to a stop in front of a large tree. She raised an eyebrow in confusion at what exactly he was referring to when he stopped. _Why are we here? Maybe he has to go to the bathroom? Do raccoons even pee on trees like dogs do? _Kairi thought to herself. The raccoon purred and pointed at the tree, smiling widely. Shrugging her shoulders, Kairi proceeded closer to the tree only for the sudden presence of a young woman peeking around from behind the tree to send her heart racing and her body tumbling backwards from tripping over a tree's roots.

"Ow! My bony butt's gonna be the end of me…"

Kairi grunted as she rubbed her behind and sat back up. Her eyes widened and her mouth hung slightly open at the sight of the young woman that was hiding behind the tree, only peeking out halfway. After studying the woman's face, Kairi came to a realization that she looked just like the people that she saw rowing the boats earlier. _She must be one of them, _she thought as she stood up. Unlike the raccoon, the young woman definitely seemed a lot more unsure. It almost reminded Kairi of her first few weeks of living on Destiny Islands and how uneasy, afraid, and insecure she was living amongst all of those new people. If this new world was anything like the island, then surely Kairi was the first 'visitor" this young woman has seen.

"Uh...hello there." Kairi smiled and waved. Her eyes darted down to the raccoon, who was trying to pull the young woman out from behind the tree. "This little guy must be a friend of yours." She also took notice that she had black hair, just like…"Hmm, black hair." Kairi knelt back down to the raccoon's level. "I'm afraid this isn't the friend I'm looking for, but good effort." She pulled the promised cookie out and fed it to him. The young woman watched Kairi's movement before a weak smile forming on her face. Kairi stood back up, running a hand up and down her arm, not sure if she is even supposed to be there or not. "I'm sorry if I spooked you a little bit, but...I mean no harm." She softly said before stepping forward more. "So...what's your name?"

The young woman hesitated before stepping out completely. "Pocahontas." She stated, placing a hand over her chest.

Kairi sighed in relief that they seemed to be connecting. "Pocahontas, my name is Kairi." She said holding her hand out. Pocahontas backed away slightly at Kairi's hand behind held out. "Oh, don't worry, it's just a handshake!"

"..." Pocahontas stood there studying Kairi's hand, waiting for something to happen. "Nothing's happening."

"Oh, it's because I need your hand first." Kairi watched as Pocahontas slowly stuck her hand out, coming contact with hers and slowly shaking up and down together. "It's how we say 'hello'." The two girls exchanged friendly grins before their hands parted.

"This is how we say hello." Pocahontas held her hand up slowly waved it in a circle. "Wingapo!" She softly greeted.

"Wingapo!"

"Very good." The Indian princess nodded with satisfaction. "Kairi, you're not from around here. Where do you come from?"

"Well…I come from an island far away from here."

"So, you're from across the ocean?"

Kairi smiled and nodded. "Yeah, but my island is very far away from here." She took a look around at the environment. "What is this place? It's amazing. I wish I could explore all of it, but I got separated from my friends. You haven't seen any other girls other than me, have you?" She asked, Pocahontas slowly shaking her head in response. Kairi sighed in disappointment. "Well, I guess I have a long way to go until I find them."

"My village is just down the river from here. I can take you there. Maybe my people can help you find your friends."

"Really? That'd be amazing!" Kairi beamed. "I don't really know how to navigate this forest, so having a guide will be great!" The raccoon climbed a tree before jumping onto Kairi's shoulder while a small green hummingbird flew in front of Kairi's face and began chirping aggressively. "Whoa! Are these guys friends of yours?"

Pocahontas nodded and stroked the raccoon on the top of his head. "This is Meeko and this is Flit." She held out her hand for Flit to perch on. "He doesn't like strangers."

Kairi laughed as she pet Meeko on the head. "Well, I won't be a stranger tomorrow."

"Alright, you two, we have to go back to the village now."

With their animal companions, Pocahontas led Kairi down the river towards her village. It wasn't too far of a distant walk, but for Kairi, it was way more enjoyable having a new friend to travel with. It became more than just a walk to a village as Pocahontas began pointing out various critters that were scattering about the forest. Kairi even had the pleasure of seeing a mother bear and her cubs right before her very eyes for the first time. A family of deer ran past them, the little fawn parking himself in front of Kairi, who was more than happy to give him a soft pet on his fuzzy head. Kairi had only been in this world for less than a day, and she could already feel herself connecting with the wildlife. Two little rabbits approached her, allowing her to kneel down and begin stroking their backs, all with a warm smile on her face.

After losing track of time thanks to Kairi having so much fun with Pocahontas' forest friends, they finally reached the village. She studied the members of the tribe that were actively moving about, completing various tasks that were part of their daily lives. Men and women were carrying baskets of crops and fish. Men were sharpening weapons, and women were attending to the children. Off to the side in a more open area, there were some young boys that were racing against each other. It reminded her of Sora and Riku with how they used to race over _everything_ when they were young. It had a very familiar feel to her. Pocahontas told Kairi to wait as she hurried over to an incredibly tall member of the tribe, one with a particular headpiece, and clothed in deerskin. _That's her father? He looks like he must be in charge around here. _Kairi thought to herself.

"Wingapo, Father!" Pocahontas greeted.

Powhatan smiled fondly at his daughter. "My daughter."

"I want you to meet someone." She walked back over guided Kairi out from behind the trees and into the open for her father and tribe to see. Everyone gasped at the presence of not just an outsider of their tribe, but one who looked so different from them.

Kairi sheepishly laughed. "Uh...Wingapo!" She greeted, hoping that they would appreciate her attempt to create a friendly link between them.

"Who is this?" The Powhatan natives muttered amongst each other. "She's not from around here."

Chief Powhatan stepped closer to Kairi. "Daughter, who is this?"

"Chief Powhatan, this girl is not one of us! She's an outsider! She could be with the Massawomecks for all we know! She could be responsible for those shadows that have been appearing!" One member of the tribe, arguably one of the tallest and looked to be the strongest.

Kairi gasped and stepped back. "N-No! Not at all! I don't even know who these Messy-messa-massa-whoever these guys are!" Her heart rate started to spike as some of the young men on the tribe looked to be shooting firm scowls toward her. "I-I was just lost and Pocahontas here was-"

Out of the corner of Kairi's eye, she noticed some Shadow and Soldier Heartless materialize, stirring panic and fear within the Powhatan natives. The women and children began to gasp and scream while the men prepared their bows and arrows, aiming them towards the Heartless.

"No! Everyone step back! These enemies are not like the ones you're used to!" Kairi cried out as she crouched in front of the men and summoned her Keyblade. "Your weapons are no good! Let me handle these!"

As the Heartless began charging towards Kairi, she retaliated with a hard horizontal swipe that was able to take out a chunk of the Shadows. As a Soldier readied to kick her in the side, Kairi guarded the attack with her Keyblade before countering with a Water spell right to its face. Unfortunately, another Soldier came charging in with a hurricane kick attack and smacked its foot right against Kairi's back. She grunted in pain before whirling around and slashing the Soldier hard enough it dematerialized instantly. A couple of Shadows tackled Kairi to the ground, causing her to hit the ground rather hard. Struggling against them, she held up her Keyblade and cast a Thunder spell, getting rid of the Shadows around her.

With the natives watching Kairi intensely, many gasps echoed as a Large Body appeared, ready to take her head on. Kairi gritted her teeth and went charging towards the Heartless as it began to charge towards her while sliding on its belly. Remembering how tiny she was compared to the Heartless, Kairi jumped right as the two were about to collide and landed on the other side. She held out her Keyblade and cast a Fire spell, causing it to run around in pain from the flames. Taking an opportunity of its thrashing about, Kairi guarded against the Heartless as it nearly ran smack into her and knocked it backwards onto its stomach. She ran forward and leapt above the enemy before diving down and thrusting her Keyblade into the back of the Heartless, eliminating it.

Kairi bent her knees, allowing herself to catch her breath. It had been a little while since she last fought a mob of Heartless on her own and she forgot how much she had relied on Xion and Naminé for their help in battle until now. As she caught her breath, Kairi looked back and saw the Powhatans all gazing at her with impressed looks on their faces considering what they had witnessed. Not only did she, an outsider, take out those creatures on her own, but she protected the tribe despite barely knowing them. Chief Powhatan, impressed, stepped forward, bringing himself closer to Kairi.

"Young warrior, please state your name." He requested.

"Kairi."

"Kairi, you have shown our people great courage and strength." He said with a proud smile as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "I welcome you amongst our people."

"Chief, with all due respect, sir, one battle is not enough to earn the trust of an outsider." The young man protested.

Powhatan firmly locked eyes with the him. "Kocoum, these shadows are nothing like we've seen before. This young warrior seems to be familiar with them."

Kairi nodded in agreement. "I am. They are Heartless. They're shadow creatures that prey upon people's hearts, especially those filled with light. Chief, I'm sure your people are strong, but you have to be careful. I have friends that are experienced with fighting the Heartless, and even they have their moments where those creatures are too strong for them."

"Father, they could be upsetting the earth's spirits." Pocahontas said with concern.

"I trust what you're saying, daughter." Powhatan nodded in agreement. He scanned the members of his tribe that were present at the moment. "By crossing into our village, Kairi is sworn to loyalty of our people and will remain under careful watch by my daughter."

"You have my word, Chief." Kairi nodded. "I'll protect you, Pocahontas, and your people to the best of my ability."

"I am grateful to hear that. In the meantime, the sun has begun to set, and you must have travelled a far journey." Powhatan said as he began to lead Kairi and Pocahontas to his house. "Tonight, you are welcome to feast with us, Kairi."

Before she could have a chance to protest, Kairi's stomach started to growl. "You know, that actually sounds amazing, thank you!"

Once the sun had set in the west, behind the towering the trees, the village had suddenly come to life before Kairi's eyes. It had suddenly seemed like she was a guest at a large party. Everyone was either playing music on various instruments such as drums, flutes, gourds, or even rattles made out of turtle shells, dancing, or eating. Pocahontas showed Kairi how to dance like her people, which the redhead found to be a lot more fun than she thought. She wasn't the best at dancing, thus she was usually more shy about dancing in front of others, but the few steps that Pocahontas managed to show, brought her out of her shell that night. Kairi was laughing, spinning and dancing around the campfire with a bunch of the other tribe members.

Kairi had also enjoyed her meal greatly that night. It was her first time trying deer meat and even enjoyed the freshly planted corn that was their specialty even more. She even had an idea to show the Powhatans a little dessert that the locals on Destiny Islands liked to eat. Kairi took the peaches she had from out of her pouch and cut them into tiny small samples and started poking them with sticks and holding them just above the tips of the flames of the large campfire, just enough to grill the peach but not burn it. The adults managed to do it just right and enjoyed the roasted peach samples quite a bit. One child struggled to do it, so Kairi helped him out and he also enjoyed it very much.

Once she had finished eating, a group of little girls came over and dragged Kairi away from the campfire and off to a little corner where they were playing with a bunch of feathers and beads. It turned out they were braiding each other's hair and wanted to braid hers. Kairi didn't have a ton of hair like some of the Powhatan women did, but she did offer for one girl to do a small braid to the side of her face. While the oldest of the girls did the braid, another girl, much younger, dipped into a wooden bowl of paint and rubbed some lines on Kairi's cheeks, eliciting some laughter from the redhead. Another little girl was sticking black and white feathers in Kairi's hair as well. If it weren't for her bright pink dress, she looked like she would've fit right in with the tribe.

"Thank you!" Kairi thanked the small girl for putting the war paint on her. She watched as the little one fiddled with her silver bracelets.

"Pretty." The little one muttered.

Kairi giggled as she took the bracelet off and handed it to the little girl. "You like it? It's sparkly, huh?"

The little girl put the bracelet on her wrist and smiled widely. "I look pretty!"

"You can have it if you'd like. I have plenty."

The little girl's mother approached the two of them and knelt down to her daughter's level. "Now Alawa, you must trade something to Kairi in return."

Kairi laughed sheepishly. "Oh! It's no big deal! She can just keep it."

The mother shook her head. "I appreciate your generosity, but we teach the children about trade at a young age. We never take without giving back. That's how we live as a tribe." She explained. Kairi nodded, understanding exactly what she meant. "Now Alawa, what will you give Kairi in return for that bracelet?"

The little girl looked around at everything she was wearing, which wasn't a whole lot considering her age. However, she did have a homemade bracelet made out of beads and was woven together with leather. She took the bracelet and held it out to Kairi. With a warm smile on her face, Kairi took the bracelet and studied it before slipped it onto her wrist. Considering how thin she was, it ended up being a perfect fit.

"Thank you. That was a good trade." Kairi smiled and nodded.

Later in the evening, the Powhatans gathered around the campfire for stories that were often told by the grandparents and elders. They were typically stories of legends that were passed down from generation to generation. Kairi had found herself very fascinated by some of these stories that were being told and made her appreciate the strong ties between the families that made up the tribe. It reminded her of Destiny Islands and how their culture had a strong emphasis on family traditions and love stories.

"Come on, Kairi! Tell us a story!" One little boy pleaded.

A bunch of kids surrounded Kairi. "Yeah tell us a story from your village!"

"Pleeeaassee!"

Kairi laughed as she caught a 2-year-old girl that collapsed into her lap. "Well, only if it's okay with the chief and everyone else."

Pocahontas rested a hand on her shoulder. "We would love to hear stories about your village."

"My daughter is right. Please, share with our people, your story."

"Well…" Kairi thought for a moment. There were a lot of stories that were passed down from previous generations on the island, especially sailors. There was the legend of thalassa shells and how they became good luck for the islanders. There was always the one about Mt. Koibito, the large volcano on Destiny , there was the legend of the paopu fruit and how the civilization of Destiny Islands' people evolved from it. "Okay, I think I have one. It's a love story, about how two hearts became intertwined, and how that bond shaped up my people's civilization."

"Please tell us, Miss Kairi!" Another girl pleaded as the children sat down next to Kairi.

"Okay, may I borrow your drum?" She asked the Indian that sat a few down from her. He handed her the drum and she tapped her hand against it a couple times. Kairi paused for a moment before tapping on the drum rhythmically.

"There's a legend in Destiny Islands historia that the paopu plays a part in how civilization started. Hundreds of years ago, the first island dwellers crash landed on the island. They were travelling in search of new land with a whole crew, but a terrible storm destroyed the ship and only left two travelers, a man and a woman. Unfortunately, the two of them were from feuding households and wanted nothing to do with each other. It started off as a story of 'every man for himself'. The man left the woman to fend for herself as he began to hunt for food, which was very scarce.

"One day, while the man was hunting, he came across this star-shaped fruit that had a golden yellow color to it. The man was hungry and he knew this fruit was just what he needed. 'There has to be more,' he thought to himself. So, he hunted the island for more of these fruits, but there were no more. He had come across what was potentially the first and only one of these special fruits. The man had to cherish it. 'This fruit could be worth something!' He held onto the fruit and returned back to the beach where his shelter was built. This was a fateful trip to the beach that changed everything.

"When the man returned to the beach, he saw that the woman was dying on the beach. She was starving, and dehydrated, and too weak to hunt for food, which she had failed to do all week. The man may have been from an opposing household, but he had a strong heart. His heart was strong enough to not leave a dying human. He took her to his shelter, he cooled her off with the water from the ocean, she gave him the fresh water that he had travelled every morning into the jungle for. Most importantly, he took the valuable fruit that he had found that morning, and cut in half. He fed half of it to her to replenish her energy. The nutrients from the fruit and water were enough to give her enough strength for her to say 'thank you' to the man.

"From then on, the man hunted for food to help her gain her strength back. As the time passed, the bond between them grew stronger and they started helping each other survive on the island. The woman planted the pit of the fruit into the ground in the hopes that it would grow and even more fruits would blossom. The two of them ended up falling in love with each other and decided to accept their fate that they were stuck on this island. They went to a secret cave and carved each other's faces on a wall to cement their vows for each other.

"As the years passed, they gave birth to the next generation, to whom they would pass on their tale of how this special fruit brought the two of them together. They even named the fruit 'Paopu', which means destiny, because these two lovers' destinies were intertwined thanks to this fruit. With the fruit receiving that name, the island was finally named Destiny Island. As more explorers found themselves lost on this island, the bigger the community grew and a new culture was born. The paopu trees started to grow every few years, and with each generation, the civilization began to grow and modernize itself. Much like how mankind evolved, so did the island.

"Destiny Islands expanded and grew, but one thing that they never lost was the original legend of their beloved paopu and how it was the reason that Destiny Islands was the way it was. On January 25, it's considered the 'Day of the Paopu', because historians were able to trace the day that the first couple shared the fruit to that day. To this day, couples use paopu fruits as part of a ritual for weddings and each couple will share a paopu on that day to further symbolize their love. It was the love between two people with different destinies that started Destiny Islands."

The Powhatans exchanged satisfying looks with each other before they all bowed their heads and said, "Migwetch!"

Kairi looked at Pocahontas, her head tilted in confusion. "What did they say?"

"That's how we say, 'thank you'." She explained.

"Oh!" Kairi giggled. "The pleasure's all mine! Thank you for letting me share this!" She bowed her head in response.

As the hours grew late, the hoots of owls and and howls of wolves echoed all through the trees. Kairi had never felt so close to nature in her entire life. She had gone camping back home before, but her island wasn't home to a large number of critters like Pocahontas' village was. It was quite an experience and Kairi loved it. She always read about so many animals and it was nice to witness them whether it was up close or just listening to them from a distance. The wolf's howl was especially quite a sound to hear.

Kairi lay down in an extra bed inside of Pocahontas and Powhatan's house. It was pretty comfortable considering the beds were different than what she was used to. The moonlight peeked into the house from the curtain that flapped in the wind. She sighed and smiled at the new bracelet on her wrist. She never expected to feel so welcomed in this world, more or less be treated like she was a member of their tribe so soon. It was almost comforting for Kairi considering she had been away from her family for over a week now and actually missed them quite a bit. Not to mention, she was still worried about Naminé and Xion and where they could've ended up. She rolled over on her side and figured she could get an early start the next morning in searching for her friends.

"Naminé, Xion, I hope you're okay…" Kairi whispered to herself as she drifted off to sleep.

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Little did Kairi know that Xion and Naminé were much farther away than she anticipated. They weren't even on the same grounds as her. Far on the opposite side of the world, both girls were collapsed in the cargo bay of a sailing ship. It was far from the peaceful forest that Kairi landed in. The ship belonged to a large number of englishmen that were sailing towards that same forest and to say these men were perfect gentlemen would be asking a lot. Lucky for Xion and Naminé, they were up on deck and had no idea of the "extra cargo" they were carrying along with them.

Xion felt the hard ground beneath her and stirred from her unconscious state. She was arguably in an even worse state than Kairi was when she first woke up. Not only was she feeling the impact of the crash landing, but the side to side drifting of the ship wasn't helping her feel any better. It was making her feel worse. Xion shut her eyes from the dizzy side effects of her sickness and shook her head before attempting to look around.

"Eh…" Xion groaned. "Where...are we?" She felt an enormous amount of weight on her back and took it as a terrible backache until she felt the stirring of a body. "Naminé?" She mumbled. Xion looked back and saw she was right, Naminé was out cold. "Naminé?" She asked, a little louder.

Naminé stirred her head before cracking her eyes open. They darted down and caught Xion's. "Oh, morning, sis!" She muttered softly.

"Hey, Naminé…" Xion sighed and smiled weakly. "Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure!"

"HOW ABOUT GETTING OFF?"

Naminé scrambled and rolled off her friend's back. "Sorry!" She sat on her knees and took a look around. "Where did we end up exactly?"

"I don't know...it looks like the inside of a pirate ship if you ask me." Xion shrugged.

"I hope not! Pirates are nasty!"

"I'll tell you one thing…" Xion's voice trailed off as she held her stomach. "This drifting isn't helping my stomach…"

Naminé placed a hand on Xion's back. "I told you to go easy on the ice cream!"

"I did! I only ate ONE!"

"Well...you should probably drink some water. Who knows how long we've been knocked out for?" Naminé stood up and took a look around before noticing some stacked barrels. "Oh!" She hurried over to the barrels and yanked the cork off the opening of one of them, liquid pouring out of it. "Uh oh! Uh...where can I…oh forget it!" Naminé hurried over and dragged Xion over to the barrel, lying her down underneath the liquid. "Here, I found some water for you!"

Xion immediately spit it out, nearly gagging. "What kind of water is that?"

"I don't know, I got it from a barrel."

"That's why…" Xion wiped her mouth. "Whoever this ship belongs to, I have no idea how the heck that meathead can drink this stuff." She stood up and brushed off her clothes. "Well Naminé, we're not gonna get anywhere by standing here. Let's figure out where we're at and try to find Kairi."

Naminé nodded. "Good idea."

Xion stretched her arms out before taking a look around and spotting the opening that led them up and out onto the deck. She inhaled heavily, hoping that whoever was on this ship had enough decency to at least give her a bucket, should she feel _really _sick. Naminé followed right behind, rather calm at the time, until what she could only descibe as the worst occurred. Her eyes caught sight of a fat rat that scattered from behind a crate and parked itself right in front of them. Naminé screamed and hid behind Xion.

"EW! OH MY GOSH GROSS!" Naminé squealed.

"What?"

"Look! Over there!"

Xion groaned as she watched the rat scatter towards them. "Ugh...come on, Naminé! It's just a rat!"

"No it's not! Oh my gosh! It's coming towards us!" Naminé whimpered as she clung onto Xion by the shoulders.

"Naminé get off me! This is stupid!" She struggled.

The rat ended up climbing onto Naminé, causing her to flip, squeal, and take off running towards the set of stairs that led out to the deck. Xion groaned and chased after her. _Of all the things that could freak her out, a rat!_ She continued to curse in her head. As she caught up to Naminé on the deck, Xion reached forward and smacked the rat off of her friend, causing it to scatter off to a different spot on the ship. She kicked dirt in the direction of the rodent before looking to Naminé, who failed to realize that the rat was off of her.

"Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!" Naminé whimpered as she squirmed.

"Naminé!" Xion grabbed her by the shoulders and held her still. "It's gone, okay? Deep breaths now, okay?" She helped Naminé calm down and catch her breath. "There we go. Now, let's find a way off this...ship."

The plan of escaping was shortlived as both girls noticed a group of older caucasian men circling him. The stern looks on their faces needed no explanation for how they felt about finding two teenage girls (in strange outfits, no less) aboard their ship. Many of them had their hands on their hips or their arms crossed and didn't look too intimidating when they were compared to the largest man of the crew. His puffed out chest and narrow eyes meant business, especially when he was eying Xion and Naminé directly. At least the pug he carried with him was cute, right? Wait, he was growling at them too, never mind.

Xion laughed sheepishly. "Uh...Hey guys! Don't mind us!" She took Naminé by the wrist and began trying to push their way through. "We're just on our way…"

"Just who are you? And what business do you have aboard this ship?" The large man inquired.

"We...are...eh…" Naminé stammered. "Xion, help me out here." She whispered.

"We're...uh...ship inspectors! Right, Naminé?" Xion laughed while nudging her friend in the arm.

"Yeah! Nobody wants to go down with their ship, right?"

The large man crossed his arms and scowled down at the girls before clearing his throat. "Captain John Smith!"

A young man with hair that was yellow as corn emerged from the crowd. "Governor Ratcliffe?"

"I don't recall us bringing on board any 'inspectors', more or less, young ladies. Would you?"

"I'm afraid not, sir." John shook his head. "These young ladies must be stowaways."

Xion shook her head aggressively. "N-no! Honest! We are here to inspect the ship and then get off! See?" She stomped her foot on the deck. "Oh yes! Sturdy ship! Now, if you'll excuse us, we're just gonna…"

Before either of the girls had a chance to escape, each of the men pulled a rifle from behind them and aimed it towards them. Xion and Naminé's eyes bulged as they suddenly realized that they were being threatened and any summon of their Keyblades meant those triggers were gonna be pulled and they were just about as dead as the fish that floated below them.

"Uh...Xion, they have guns!" Naminé panicked. "What do we do? They have guns!" She clung onto her friend.

Xion laughed sheepishly. "Hehe...nice...guns?"

John stepped forward, holding back a couple of the men. "Hold up there, men. What good would it be harming them?"

Naminé nodded in agreement. "Yeah! Listen to the blonde one! He's smart!"

Ratcliffe huffed and crossed his arms. "Very well, then. Mr. Smith, take these stowaways down to the brig!"

"Aww, come on, boys!" Naminé shyly brushed hair behind her ear, attempting to work her 'feminine charm' plan. "You wouldn't throw a couple of charming ladies inside of a nasty brig, would you?"

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"Apparently they would…"

Naminé muttered as she sat in a cell with her knees close to her chest. The cell was not kept up at all. It was musty, moldy, and it smelled like there were dead bodies in it. Was it wrong for the girls to be on this ship uninvited? Of course it was. Was it their choice to be stuck on this ship? Absolutely not. Naminé and Xion would've much rather been back on the ship fighting Heartless ships than be stuck in a dumpster of a cell. Xion paced back and forth, trying to overcome her impatience and anxiety of being trapped in a new world, imprisoned, with a bunch of men who obviously didn't respect them.

"This sucks! I demand justice!" Xion yelled. "We have rights, you know?"

"Xion, we're in a different world, remember?"

Xion groaned before pounding a fist against the cell door. "What kind of world is this? It's almost like a completely different century here!" She kicked some dirt on the floor before pacing back and forth again. "The least they can do is clean these cells. I'm pretty sure fat man's got some type of fluttery servant who would _love _doing it for him…"

"Oh Kairi...where are you?" Naminé whimpered as she shivered.

"Wherever she is, we probably won't find her until we reach land...so we might as well get used to it in here." Xion sighed, moaning and holding her stomach.

"Eww! It's still moving!" Naminé cringed and shook her head at the sight of an almost dead cockroach in the corner. She looked to the side and saw some flies buzzing. "Xion! This place is gross!" She whined as she wrapped her arms around Xion.

"Naminé, now's not the time for hugs...I don't feel so good…" She moaned before letting out a decent belch.

"Don't cry yet, Xion! We'll get out of here!" The hopelessly optimistic blonde assured her friend while patting her head.

Xion shook her head, moaning in discomfort. "No, I mean I feel like I'm gonna lose my lunch…" She slowly fell to her side, lying down in a fetal position. "This would be a good time for Axel's medicine…"

Naminé sighed, taking another look around the cell. "Could this get any worse?" She squealed as her eyes caught sight of a dead rat in the corner of the cell. "THAT'S IT! I WANT OUT!" She yelled and began shaking the cell door.

For the next several hours, Naminé and Xion suffered in the brig, silently praying for a miracle. Xion leaned against the wall, wishing she were melting in the heat of Agrabah instead of feeling seasick on this miserable ship. Naminé, on the other hand, was trying to make the most of the wasted time on the ship. She rested against a wall and played some slow tunes on a harmonica, unbeknownst that it was driving Xion crazy. After finally having enough of the music, Xion took the harmonica from Naminé's hands and chucked it across the room, earning a hard pout from the distressed blonde.

As the sun set and the evening hours rolled in, conditions became worse. Naminé was becoming anxious from being trapped inside the cell while Xion continued to feel sick from the drifting. It also didn't help that there was a storm earlier that night, which only made the drifting much rougher. Fate finally jumped to the girls' side in the form of a young man, who only looked a few years older than them. The youthful young man seemed innocent when compared to the older men he was traveling with. He came down the stairs, carrying a bucket and an empty barrel, and noticed the miserable-looking girls.

"Hello ladies?" The young man greeted them.

Xion groaned and held her arm out. "Can I _please _just have that bucket…?"

"Please get us out of here! I hate rats and we're innocent! We swear!" Naminé begged as she ran up to the door and peaked out.

The young man hesitated at first before taking a look back and checking for any other men from the ship. When there was nobody else in sight, he went for the keys that were shoved in his pocket, unlocking the cell door and releasing the girls from the brig.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Naminé thanked him as she ran out..

Xion crawled out of the cell and instantly took the bucket, holding it close to her so she could throw up. "Thanks…"

"You don't really travel much, do you?" He asked Xion.

"No...I'm from a large inland town. The nearest beach is a train ride away…"

Naminé rubbed Xion's back. "She'll be okay." She looked up at the young man and smiled cutely at him. "So, who do I have to thank?"

"Oh, my name is Thomas. What might your names be?"

"My name is Naminé, and the sick one here is Xion."

Thomas tilted his head in confusion. "Unusual names, I must say. Same with your choice of clothing." He shrugged it off. "Well, Governor Ratcliffe directed me to keep a sharp eye out for you two, so I'm not supposed to let you out, but you seemed lovely enough to deserve a bit of a rest. If you didn't intend on being on this ship, you must be frightened."

"You know it! I hate rats and this ship seems infested with them!" Naminé cringed.

Xion glared at Thomas. "Based on that alone, your ship fails the inspection…"

"My apologies…" Thomas muttered.

"So, where are we headed?" Naminé asked.

"Come with me, I'll show you."

Xion tilted an eyebrow suspiciously. "Is this a trick?"

"Don't worry, everyone else is asleep." Thomas assured the girls as he began ascending the steps to the deck.

Despite suspicions rising within Xion, Naminé decided to follow Thomas out to the deck. The first thing on her mind was getting out of the nasty brig and back out in the fresh air. Xion wasn't sure whether to trust this young man or not, but considering how miserable she was feeling, it couldn't get any worse in her case. Clutching the bucket close to her, Xion followed Naminé and Thomas up the steps and back on the deck. There was still the sea salt scent in the air, but it was better and the moldy mildew scent of the brig. At least the breeze started to help her out with feeling better.

John was off at the corner scribbling in one looked like a small notebook. Out of the all the "wonderful" men Xion and Naminé encountered earlier that day, John, as well as Thomas, seemed to be the only decent ones who didn't look down on them at first glance. He didn't even seem bothered by the fact that Thomas had let them out despite being ordered to keep them locked up and watch them.

"I see you've brought some friends with you, Thomas." John remarked.

Thomas shrugged and leaned against the ship's mast. "I thought they could use a break from the brig. They seem harmless."

"Well, they can't be any worse than the savages we'll encounter in this new world."

Xion tilted her head to side. "I'll take that as a compliment?"

"Considering how the other men treated us, I'll take it." Naminé nodded.

"So...where are you guys going, exactly?"

John looked out towards the ocean and let the wind blow through his hair. "We're off to this new world to build a new civilization, new settlements."

"So, you want to build a new town?" Naminé asked, earning nods from John and Thomas. "Huh, I think it's easier to just _move _into a new house, but whatever floats your boat."

"We should be arriving by tomorrow." John sighed in relief as he wiped his brow with his arm.

Xion nodded as she knelt down and held her stomach. "Good...I want off this boat…"

"I'm curious about this 'new world' and what it's gonna be like." Naminé said as she sat on the edge of the ship.

Thomas nodded. "I agree. John is quite the experienced traveller here." He stood over by Naminé and John, joining them in their speculation. "What do you think the new world's gonna be like?"

John sighed and leaned against the ship's ledge. "Like all the other worlds, I suppose. I've seen hundreds of new worlds." He stared out towards the ocean, deep in thought. "What could possibly be different about this one?"

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**A/N: OMG we're finally here in a new world! Hope you guys enjoy this one! This is a world I've been looking forward to for A WHILE!**


	16. Listen With Your Heart

**A/N: OMG I AM SOOOOOO SORRY! I haven't updated this in forever! Between SoKai Week on Tumblr earlier this month, writer's block, and having computer issues, this chapter kept getting delayed! Thanks for everyone's patience! Let the adventure continue!**

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Chapter 16: Listen With Your Heart

The morning came sooner than Kairi normally would've liked it, but considering she had the natural light to wake up to, she didn't have much of a choice. Unlike at home, she didn't have the luxury of blackout curtains to shield the sun on her weekend mornings when she slept in, and by sleep in, that meant wake up at 9am instead of 6am like she would for school. Kairi's eyes cracked open and saw that Pocahontas and her father were out of the house already. _Morning people for sure, _she thought to herself as she slipped out of bed and stretched out her entire body. Despite it being practically dawn, Kairi's body couldn't lie. Between the good meal and good company, she had a very good sleep.

Kairi stepped outside and saw the various tribe members doing away with their morning routines. Mothers were cleaning their children up and the men were gearing up to go hunting for game. With Kairi feeling like she should at least try to help out in some way, she walked up to one of the young men and offered to go help them hunt for food. Kocoum, who had yet to open up to Kairi, refused her offer, but two other young men took her up on the offer, believing it to be satisfying to teach their tribe's protector how to hunt. Not to mention, it was a generous offer and in Kairi's mind, the least she could do considering they took her in and treated her like a member so suddenly.

While Kairi was far from being the type to hunt regularly with her love of animals, she did find it to be a valuable skill to learn in case something were to happen to her island again, leaving her no other choice but to hunt for food. The Powhatans spotted a turkey from a distance and one of them tapped on Kairi, signaling her to aim the bow they had given her to use. Learning how to use the bow and arrow was quite simple for her and she found it a fun alternative to her Keyblade. Was it useful against Heartless? Probably not, but it was a skill she had gained and could potentially use later on in dire situations. Kairi, remembering how the young Powhatan showed her, aimed the bow at the turkey, and after a firm pull with the arrow, released it and sent it flying towards the giant bird. With the sound of a distressed gobble, the turkey had fallen and become that night's food.

Once Kairi and the young men returned to the village, Pocahontas had finished gathering food herself and offered to take her down to the lake to wash up. Having not had a relaxing bath in who knew how long, Kairi took up the offer and fast. The idea of relaxing in a quiet lake surrounded by nothing but the sounds of mother nature sounded wonderful. After stripping her clothes off, hanging them on a nearby boulder, Kairi stepped into the lake. It was quite chilly at first, but considering how cold the ocean at Destiny Islands was, she managed to adapt very quickly and found herself lost in the sounds of the wind blowing, birds chirping, and fish flailing about.

"This is so relaxing…" Kairi sighed happily as she leaned against the lake's edge allowing the fresh water to cleanse her physically and mentally. "Being in fresh water is different. I don't know what it is." She ducked into the water until half of her face was peeking out, and then popped right back out. "Now I know why, I don't have to worry about swallowing salt water! I love the ocean, but swallowing salt water accidentally isn't very tasty…"

Pocahontas chuckled before dipping her hair in and out. "The ocean is so big. I often dream about what's on the other side of it."

"I did too, so did my friends. A couple years ago, we were planning to build a raft and sail across the ocean, seeing what was out there…" She paused and stared down at her reflection in the water. "But the night before we left, everything changed. Sora had said the day before it happened that he had a strange dream. I wish I listened to him better. It was more than just a dream, it was a warning of what was to come."

"Hmm, you know, I've been having a strange dream for many nights now." Pocahontas paused before thinking back to her dream. "I'm running through the woods and in front of me, there's an arrow that starts to spin, only it keeps spinning faster until it suddenly stops. I think it's telling me something exciting is about to happen."

Kairi tilted her head to the side. "I wouldn't be surprised by that. Sora had one strange dream and our whole lives changed."

"My father believes my dream is connected to marriage. He wants me to marry Kocoum, and thinks it's the right path for me, but I feel like my dream is pointing me down another path."

"Kocoum? But he's _so serious_." Kairi leaned her head back and smiled. "I like a young man with a great smile and a goofy personality."

"I just don't know what my path is."

"I'm just as lost as you are, Pocahontas."

Kairi sighed as she stood up and walked over to the small waterfall, allowing the water to run over her hair, and exposing her back to Pocahontas, who noticed a large scar that ran down her back. Despite not looking, she could feel the strong brown eyes studying the permanent reminder of not only Kairi's courage, but also her grief and why she was here to begin with. She ran a hand up and down her arm as her heart started to sink. Kairi knew since the beginning that becoming a Keyblade wielder would come with scars, both physical and emotional. She just never expected her biggest one to be connected to _him_. Then again, that only meant that now Sora and Kairi had something else in common.

"You keep mentioning a boy's name. Sora, right?" Pocahontas asked, not wanting to mention the scar despite Kairi noticing that she was studying it. Kairi nodded in response. "Who is he?"

"He's...someone very special to me. Something terrible has happened to him, and I'm trying to save him." She ran a hand through her soaking wet hair before it brushed against her healing wound that Sa'luk had caused. "Earlier in my travels, I met this Oracle, and I asked her for wisdom on how I can save him, but her answer only raised more questions."

"Whenever I feel lost, I always go visit Grandmother Willow. She's a wise spirit and always knows what to say. Maybe I should take you to see her? She might even know where your friends are."

Kairi gasped. "My friends! Xion! Namine!" She groaned as she hurried out of the water and wrapped herself in the deerskin blanket to dry herself off. "I'm such a terrible friend! I got so caught up with the pow wow last night and then my bath this morning that I completely forgot about them!"

Pocahontas followed her out. "Once you're ready, we can follow the river down to Grandmother Willow's grotto."

"Okay, sounds like a plan!" Kairi nodded in agreement as she reached for her clothes. At least, she tried to reach for her clothes. "Uh...where are my clothes? They were right here…" She looked around until her eyes caught sight of Meeko pacing around wearing Kairi's dress. "Hey!" He gasped before scurrying away.

"Meeko! Bring those back!" Pocahontas said firmly.

Meeko stopped in his tracks and pulled out what could only be Kairi's panties and started stretching them out over his head as Flit chirped, scolding the mischievous raccoon. Ignoring the hummingbird, Meeko scurried forward.

"HEY! NOT FUNNY!" Kairi yelled as she chased after him, trying not to drop the blanket. "Come on! I need those!"

After chasing him down a few hundred feet, Kairi finally caught up to Meeko and got her clothes back. Unfortunately, it cost her though. He refused to give back the panties unless she gave him a cookie. She gave him his treat, and all of her clothes were successfully retrieved. Once both of the young ladies were completely clothed, the sound of a familiar young woman's name calling out Pocahontas' name caught their attention. She looked to be around the same age as Pocahontas and came jogging towards the two of them.

"Nakoma!" Pocahontas greeted the young woman.

"There you are, I was wondering where you ran off to!" She teased, putting her hands on her hips.

Kairi brushed out her hair and shook it until it was floofy again. "We just came down to wash up."

"I see that. What's your name again?"

"I'm Kairi. And you're...Nakoma?"

Nakoma nodded her head. "Your name is...quite unusual. Where'd you come from exactly?" She asked, her eyes studying Kairi's appearance.

"Just from an island, _very _far from here." Kairi answered, careful to not disturb the world order that Merlin had warned her about when she was training with Axel.

"I shouldn't be surprised Pocahontas found you." Nakoma remarked as she playfully nudged her friend. "She's always making friends with whoever she sees in the woods."

Pocahontas laughed. "Actually, Meeko found her and brought her to me." She pointed out as the raccoon hopped onto her shoulder.

"Well listen, the berries are finally ready to pick. Could you come help us out?"

"I can't right now. Kairi got separated from her friends, so we're gonna try to find them."

Kairi nodded. "Yeah, if we're lucky, it won't take too long and then-"

"What friends?" Nakoma cut her off. "There's more of you?"

"Eh...just two, but they're girls just like me." She answered, starting to get a little nervous due to Nakoma's constant interrogations.

"I just want to know why you're here and where you came from. Pocahontas, your father is worried about you being outside of the village when those shadow creatures are appearing in the forest."

"Nakoma, it's okay. Kairi here can fight them."

"Yeah, nothing to worry about. The chief has my word." Kairi reassured her.

Pocahontas sighed. "I'm gonna help Kairi find her friends. We'll be back in the village later." She brushed past Nakoma with Kairi trailing behind. Nakoma couldn't help but watch until the two of them were out of sight, but not without a slight trace of suspicion on her face as she tried to piece together who Kairi was and where she came from.

"She didn't seem to like me very much. Was it something I said?" Kairi asked, her voice full of concern.

Pocahontas shook her head. "Not at all. She's my best friend, always worrying about me."

"I know how that is. Sora and my other best friend, Riku, they were always so protective over me when we were younger and it got worse as we got older. I understand they want to protect me, but I wish they had given me more of a chance to fight my own battles and get stronger." She sighed in frustration. "I wouldn't be in this mess if I was stronger…"

"Being the daughter of the chief, my father keeps mentioning how one day our people will look to me for wisdom and strength. I'm honored, but I'm not sure I'm strong enough to lead our people. Maybe that's why he wants me to marry Kocoum so much. He's one of the strongest members of our tribe. He has the strength of a bear."

Kairi laughed softly. "In that case, call me 'Little Bear' because that's the only strength I can offer. At least until I find what the Oracle was referring to."

Pocahontas waved her over towards the water's edge. "Well, Grandmother Willow is just down the river. We'll take my canoe."

"A canoe?"

"You know how to paddle a canoe?"

Kairi, bouncing off the balls of her feet, shook her head. "No, but we have rowboats!" She gasped as she approached the docked canoe. "My friends and I have this little island that's separate from the main island that we would always row our boats to whenever we wanted to play." Her hands brushed against the fine wood that was carved to create the perfect canoe. "I always loved it. The currents pushing against it always gave enough of a thrill during the ride there!"

Pocahontas pulled out two oars and handed one to Kairi. "Would you like to lead the way?"

"Me? Really?" She asked, taking the oar. "But...I don't know how to get to where we're going."

"Just follow the river's course. It always knows the right path. Just remember, the river isn't steady at all."

Kairi studied the steady river's stream before smiling widely and hopping into the front of the canoe. Pocahontas got behind the canoe and gave it a push, sending the girls on their voyage down the riverbend. Meeko, of course, hopped on the canoe and rode right up front with Kairi.

"Whoa! I've never ridden on a river before!" Kairi exclaimed as she began to paddle. "This is amazing!"

Pocahontas laughed. "Just keep looking around the riverbend!"

Listening to Pocahontas, Kairi gave into her senses as she felt the river's current carry the two of them further down. She could feel the currents picking up the further they travelled. They created a more intense experience than what she was used to considering the ocean's calmer currents. While the ocean did have its moments where the currents were more rough than usual, they were never up to the level where it was constant and felt like a thrill ride unless it as during a storm.

Kairi laughed as her oar pierced the water's surface and two otters hopped in and out right beside her. Also not far from them, a beaver stacked sticks in a large pile. The riverbend was just as alive as inland was. She watched with amusement as Meeko stuck his snout out towards the waterfall and some fish flopped right on top of his head. Pocahontas and Flit also laughed, the poor racoon pouting in response. Kairi sighed and patted the top of his head before he finally got over his childish behavior and continued to enjoy the ride.

The thrills only continued as Kairi came to the edge of a small waterfall. At first she wondered if she should turn back, only to realize it was too late and they were already diving off the edge and into the active river beneath them. She screamed with adrenaline as she felt her heart jump at the impact of the drop. Pocahontas also joined in the fun and laughed out loud while attempting to help Kairi stay on course. Once the river began to slow down, she came to a stop and found herself at a fork in the river's path.

"Hmm...which way should I go?" Kairi muttered as her eyes darted between the two paths. One course was smoother than the other. _Should I choose the smoothest course? _She took a look over the canoe and saw her internally lost reflection. _Is there more to this journey than even I can imagine? _Her reflection looked over and locked eyes with what looked like a reflection of Sora, only Kairi knew it wasn't really him. _Maybe...I'm meant to do more than just save Sora, but what? _

"Kairi?"

Kairi snapped out of her thoughts at Pocahontas' voice. "Oh! Sorry!" She looked ahead and decided to start paddling towards what appeared to be the course that was less smooth.

**Pocahontas and her people had a way of learning life's lessons by connecting with nature, whether it was with animals, plants, or just the rivers. At the time, little did I know, that every minute spent here in this world, was setting up for something much bigger. **

Upon entering the calm of the river, was a small grotto that was covered from head to toe in leaves. Kairi looked up and watched with childlike curiosity as she and Pocahontas paddled into the grotto. There were smaller animals that were scattering towards the edge of the land, as if they were greeting the visiting princesses. Kairi could also feel a peculiar aura in the air the closer they paddled towards a large tree. She wondered where exactly this "wise spirit" was and why they were in a grotto where there didn't seem to be any sign of human life. Meeko purred, as if he were just as familiar with this place as Pocahontas was.

"Here we are." Pocahontas said as they docked the canoe.

Kairi, feeling very confused, followed as she climbed some strong tree roots and onto what appeared to be a stump right in front of what she could only describe as the largest tree she had ever seen in her life. She took a look around what was admittedly a very beautiful and peaceful grotto in the woods, but was more eager to ask this spirit for guidance and would worry about ambience later.

"So, now what?" Kairi asked, kneeling on the stump, facing away from the tree.

"Now, we ask Grandmother Willow for guidance."

The confused Keyblade wielder shook her head, completely unaware that a face was forming from a particular indent on the tree. "But...there's nobody here…"

"Good morning, child." An elderly woman's voice spoke from the tree. "Hello, Kairi."

Kairi turned to the tree. "Oh, hello there, tree." She greeted back before turning her attention back to Pocahontas. "Anyway, so who is-" She cut herself off and did a double take, making sure she wasn't going crazy and that the tree was actually talking to her. Kairi rubbed her eyes, only for them to widen all the more when she realized that the tree was really alive. "Tree? The tree's talking to me? Uh…"

"What's the matter, dear? You look like you've seen a ghost."

"Well...I'm _not _exactly used to trees talking to me…"

"Oh, don't be frightened, my child. My bark is worse than my bite!" Grandmother Willow chuckled with amusement at her own joke.

Kairi chuckled and crossed her arms. "At least she has a sense of humor."

Pocahontas nudged Kairi forward. "This is Grandmother Willow. Go on, you can ask her what you want to know."

Grandmother Willow studied Kairi's face and softly gasped. "Kairi, Princess of Heart and a Keyblade wielder! I have waited long for the day I would meet such a special light such as yourself."

"You know me? How is that possible?"

"Oh, we spirits must never reveal our secrets." The tree said smiling mischievously. "But that's not important. Go on, sweet child. Let's hear what you have to say. You look like you've lost your way along your path."

Kairi held her head low, her expression saddening. "I have…" She took a deep breath, ready to expel all that she needs to know. "I'm trying to save someone very close to my heart."

"Ohhh yes! The boy with the key, Sora."

"Y-you know Sora too?" Kairi asked, her heart racing as she stood up on the stump.

Grandmother Willow chuckled. "I can see within your heart, Kairi. You and this boy have a connection unlike any other that I've seen in two hundred years." She lowered her vines and brought Kairi's hands up to her chest. "You must keep that bond safe. It is the most powerful weapon of all."

"That's what I came to talk to you about. I asked an Oracle to tell me how I can save them, but she told me that to save him, I have to discover 'the strength he saw within me' and then my path will become more clear. I don't understand what she means by that, or what 'strength' she's referring to." Flit flittered over and sat on Kairi's shoulder, giving her an affectionate look.

"Hmm, well it seems to me that this strength you're searching for is unlike anything you're expecting, and the only way to find it is to look deep within yourself."

"But how am I supposed to do that? I don't even know who I am anymore or what my place in this world is. If anything, I feel like I'm more of a burden to those I love."

Grandmother Willow frowned at Kairi's criticism. "Now child, there's no need to be critical on yourself. A path is never ending, and there's always a way out no matter how far lost you might seem." She lowered her vines and tilted Kairi's low face up. "Child, you're very much like my Pocahontas. I can feel a strong heart beating steady as a drum. It seems that there was a change in the wind when you first arrived here too, hmm?"

Pocahontas nodded. "That was when I found her. The winds had suddenly changed."

"Perhaps the wind is speaking to both of you. Pocahontas, have you found answers about your dream?"

"Not yet." She shook her head with disappointment.

Kairi sighed and shook her head. "I'm sorry, but I'm still confused, Grandmother Willow. Wind speaking?"

"All around you are spirits, child. They live in the earth, the water, the sky. If you listen, they will guide you on your path."

"But...how will I know if these spirits are guiding me?"

"Shhhh, you must listen…" Grandmother Willow hushed her.

The wind started picking up almost immediately, brushing against Grandmother Willow's vines. Kairi concentrated on the wind, which sounded normal at first, but in the distance, she could've sworn she heard faint chanting. The voice was pure, almost as if a spirit were reaching out to speak with her. The chanting had evolved into a melody, as if a female spirit's way of speech was through song.

"Do you feel the wind?" Grandmother Willow asked.

Kairi gasped lightly and shut her eyes, allowing the wind to blow through her air. "I don't just feel the wind, I hear it."

"Listen with your heart…"

"I hear the wind too." Pocahontas said shutting her eyes.

"What is it telling you?" Grandmother Willow asked.

"It's telling me something's coming…strange clouds…?"

"That's what it's telling me too...But, strange clouds?" Kairi asked. She watched as Pocahontas started to climb Grandmother Willow's base. She followed up until they were above the canopy and looking out at the forest. "Whoa!"

Grandmother Willow looked up. "What do you see?"

"Clouds! Strange clouds!" Pocahontas answered, marveled at the very sight she saw. It was a group of large, white sails that belonged to a ship that was approaching the land. Unbeknownst to either of them, it was the very ship that Xion and Namine were currently trapped on.

Kairi shook her head. "Those aren't clouds, those are sails to a ship! There's a ship coming! This means more people are coming here!"

"Ship?"

"It's like a really big boat that carries a ton of people."

Pocahontas' eyes widened at the idea of that large of a boat. "I'd love to see one of those!"

"Well, why don't we check it out? If a ship is incoming, then it has to be docking by where the ocean starts. Maybe my friends might be there if we haven't been able to find them by now still. Can you lead us there?" Kairi asked as she pointed at the ship, following its direction. Pocahontas nodded. "Perfect!" She held a hand to her chest as she held a serious expression. "Xion, Namine, if you're out there, I'm on my way!"

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Just as John and Thomas had predicted, the ship carrying Xion, Namine, and passengers had reached land the following day. Both girls managed to get away with being out on the ship's deck as they got close. The various crew members all scattered about, gathering ropes and ladders to ready themselves for pulling the ship to shore. While Namine and Xion couldn't really be much help considering they didn't know anything about ships, they took the time to marvel at the new world they had discovered. It was breathtaking to them. It literally looked like there was no sign of human life that lived on this land. Although amazing, the idea that there was no sign of human life also brought concern among the girls as they wondered about whether Kairi was safe or not.

Thanks to the efforts of John, Thomas, and the crew members, the ship was successfully pulled right up to the shore. While everyone was eager to get off the ship, nobody was more eager than Xion. As soon as the loading ramp was connected between the ship and the shore's edge, Xion literally ran off the ship. Namine could only watch and brush some hair behind her ear as she laughed sheepishly at her friend who was miserable for the good majority of their time on the ship. Her laughing soon ceased as she saw the same rat that had harassed her on the ship brush past her down the ramp. A light squeal was all it took to get her off just as fast. Namine jogged down and heaved a sigh of relief when her feet hit the ground.

"LAND!" Xion cried as she collapsed onto the ground."I NEVER wanna go sailing on another ship ever again!" She started kissing the ground. "I'll never take you for granted ever again!"

Namine rolled her eyes. "I NEVER wanna see another fat rat ever again."

"Top of the morning, ladies!" Ratcliffe greeted in his typical proud tone from right behind.

"Why are _you _so happy to see us? And why'd you release us anyway?" Xion asked, standing back up and curling her hand into a fist.

"Oh, there's no need for violence, my fine ladies. All's well that ends well, right?"

Namine raised an eyebrow. "You're not making sense."

Ratcliffe chuckled and crossed his arms. "It's a simple deal, I release you, then as an exchange, free labor!"

"Free? Who do you think you are?" Namine asked, clearly offended.

"An English gentleman who spared your lives." Ratcliffe jested. "Now, the next order of business is to set up camp!"

Xion crossed her arms as Ratcliffe brushed past them. "Hmph, when I came on this journey, I signed up to be part of a search party for Sora, not to be somebody's slave…" She rolled her eyes as she tugged on Namine's arm. "Come on Nami, let's get 'Rathead's' camp set up…"

"Aye aye...Captain…"

Begrudgingly, Xion and Namine began hurling large wooden stakes together from the ship. All they could think about was wanting to run into the forest to try and find Kairi. If they weren't so outnumbered and already had eyes on them, they would've tried to escape. Using Keyblades on them were out of the question. They weren't Heartless, and they were trying to keep on the downlow of exactly who they were. The two figured they would only have to make it until the night and then when everyone was asleep, they'd make a run for it to go find Kairi. While hurling the wooden stakes, Xion and Namine failed to realize at first that a Shadow Heartless had appeared off to the side, but within sight of two of the travelers.

"Well, well, what have we got here, mates?" One of the men asked as he eyed the Shadow.

"Some strange creature?" Another one raised an eyebrow.

Xion dropped the wooden stake and charged after the Shadow, summoning her Keyblade. "Get away from that thing!" She swung her Keyblade and destroyed the Heartless instantly. "Where there's one there's…" She froze in her words as more Heartless, both familiar and unfamiliar, spawned in front of her. "More…"

"Xion!" Namine caught up with her and summoned her Keyblade. "I should've known we'd run into Heartless here!"

"Everyone grab a gun and shoot the creatures!" Ratcliffe ordered.

"No! These aren't typical critters. Leave them to us!" Namine argued.

Without giving Ratcliffe or anyone else time to argue, Xion and Namine split off to fight off the Heartless. There were a variety of Deserters, Cannon Guns, and even a Large Armor. Namine chose to target the Deserters considering they kept on scattering about as if they were trying to flee before the battle even started. She aimed her Keyblade at one of them and shot a Fire spell at it, taking it out instantly. The rest of them didn't seem to like the fact that one of them fell, so they immediately turned and began charging at Namine with a flurry of kicks. Grunting in pain, she fell back from the impact of the harsh kicks to the middle area of her body. One kick was enough to knock the wind out of her. She fell to her knees and began breathing heavily.

"Namine!" Xion rushed to her friend's side and helped her up. "You have to be careful! We don't have Kairi here to heal you if you get seriously hurt and I don't know magic spells!"

Namine nodded as she gripped her Keyblade, catching her breath. "Right…" She looked behind Xion and saw the Large Armor winding up its arm to attack. "Xion! Watch out!" Namine cried as she aimed her Keyblade towards the Heartless and cast Blizzard on it, freezing the entire body in place before Xion could suffer any serious damage.

"Great shot, Nami!"

Xion whirled around and smacked the Heartless back. While it wasn't enough to take it out immediately, the impact sent it falling back, allowing Xion to run up on its belly and begin slicing in various directions against its head, the weak point. With a final thrust in, Xion took out the Large Armor. She took in a deep breath as she looked back and saw Namine casting Thunder on the Deserters. While the spell paralyzed them in place, Xion hurried over and joined with Namine so they could perform a combine fire tornado attack in place, one that would take out the Deserters.

All that were left were the Cannon Guns. Namine and Xion nodded at each other as the Heartless began firing blazing cannon balls from their tops. As Xion went charging forward, Namine began rapidly casting Blizzard on each of the Heartless. Following each spell, Xion swung her Keyblade, the impact causing each one to shatter. To say the men were shocked would be an understatement, they expected nothing from Xion and Namine and here they were, defending them from these strange creatures like it was taking out trash. The two of them looked back and flashed cocky grins, taking pride in their victory.

"Hmm, I'm quite impressed, ladies. You handled those things with ease." John admitted as he stepped forward and gave each of them a pat on the back.

Xion snickered. "We're used to them."

"We could use you on the defense." John nudged Ratcliffe's arm as if he were trying to convince the governor that the girls would be more useful in helping keep the camp safe.

"What are you saying, Smith?"

"I'm saying that between those creatures and any savages we encounter in this new land, having these ladies on standby would make for stronger defense and lesser chance of being attacked." He thought for a moment. "In fact, why don't I take them with me to scout the area? You know, keep them out of your way'?"

Ratcliffe put a hand under his enormous chin and thought. "Hmm, very well then, Smith. I suppose a couple weak females wouldn't last very long performing hard labour…"

Xion gritted her teeth. "Why you…" She stepped towards the cruel governor before being held back by Namine. "I don't like him at all." She whispered.

"Neither do I, but we have to stay on their good side, at least until we find Kairi, and then we can find her lucky charm piece and get out of here." Namine whispered back.

"Right…"

John Smith looked back and waved the girls over. "Let's scout the area, ladies!"

Agreeing to help John search the land, Xion and Namine followed him from the campsite and into the forest. It had suddenly felt like a giant maze made of towering trees and plants with the forest's residents occasionally poking their heads out, curious of who these visitors were. Seeing this place from the outside was one thing, but Xion couldn't believe just how big it was. She never knew such a world could be this capable of having so much nature in one spot. For Namine, Radiant Garden was a rather big world, but she never bothered to explore outside of the town, so this felt just as new to her as it did to Xion. She giggled as she pointed out a mother eagle feeding her young in a tree above.

Much to their surprise, John didn't seem all that focused at all during the hike. He seemed very relaxed. It was almost as if he cared more about actually seeing the world than actually "scouting" for Heartless and what the men were calling "savages". Neither Xion or Namine had ever heard of that term before and couldn't help but wonder what exactly John was referring to. In their minds, they sounded more dangerous than Heartless, if not just as dangerous. Yet, the forest seemed so peaceful. Even with the Heartless lurking about, the girls were able to admire and appreciate the beauty this world had within.

After climbing a somewhat steep hill, John came to a stop and took a good look at the view. Even if they weren't at the highest point in the world, it was enough that Xion and Namine could see over the tops of trees and get a better feel for how large this world was. They wondered how anyone could not get lost in a place like this? At least back in Agrabah, it was a pretty straightforward city to navigate and if they had to leave to travel to the desert, Aladdin had enough experience that he knew exactly where to go. All they could do was hope John was just as good of a guide despite never being to this place.

"Well, you ladies need a rest?" John asked as he sat on a boulder.

Xion looked at Namine before shrugging. "Nope, we're good to keep going." She said resting her hands behind her head. "One mile isn't a whole lot."

"You sure?" He asked, the girls nodding confidently. "Alright, if you say so." The three of them continued their hike through the forest.

"This place looks amazing! We have a forest in Twilight Town, but it's nothing compared to this place!" Xion gazed at the towering trees.

Namine smiled and nodded. "It's beautiful."

One mile later...

John took a seat on another boulder. "How about now? You ladies need a rest?" He asked, pulling out some biscuits and holding them out to the girls. "You've gotta at least be hungry."

"Hungry? Yes!" Namine answered as she and Xion took the biscuits and started nibbling on them. "But we're good to keep going!"

"Really?" He asked, the girls nodding confidently once again. "Alrighty then...I guess we're...still going."

The adventure continued and the miles continued to add up. While the average person would've noticed how long they were going for, John and the girls weren't bothered by it at all. Even Namine, who wasn't used to big adventurous hikes through the woods, was okay. She was too involved in her surroundings to keep track. Namine even got to get up close to a family of rabbits, who had one of the babies separate from it. She picked up the small little baby rabbit and sent it on its way to catch up with its brothers and sisters. Xion, who had a fascination with grand views thanks to her spending so much time on the clock tower in Twilight Town, kept on running to the edges of cliffs to take in the view, especially with them getting close to bodies of water.

"I must say, you two surprise me." John pointed out as he began climbing up a cliff towards the top of a waterfall.

"We do? In what way?" Namine asked, flattered by John's compliment.

"It's not everyday you see two young ladies such as yourselves trekking land like this. In fact, I'd argue that you're in better shape than I am." He said between breaths as the girls followed him up.

Xion shrugged, scoffing. "We're used to it. Or, at least I am. Namine's still kinda new, but she's getting use to it, very quickly."

John chuckled. "I could've used you two on my previous travels."

"So, you've been to other worlds?" Xion asked, her curiosity peaking.

"You could say that. Or you can just bunch them together and call them one large world. They've all been much alike, they might as well be one." He hauled himself up to the top and helped the girls up. All three of them caught their breath, looking over the waterfall. "Even I'm curious as to how this one could possibly be different from the others. There has to be a world out there that's completely unique and different."

Namine folded her hands together and smiled. "Well for one thing, you have _us _this time around."

"Keep it up, and you'll find something out there, trust me." Xion said nudging him in the arm. "You know, you kinda remind me of someone I know."

"Who?"

"His name is Sora. He had a great passion for seeing all of these different worlds and never let anything get in his way."

John nodded with interest. "Sounds like my kind of travel companion."

Namine sighed, her expression fading. "That's actually what brings us out here in the first place. Something terrible happened to him, and we're trying to help our friend Kairi save him."

"Kairi?"

Xion nodded. "Yep, she is Sora's most important person, just like he is to her. Kairi is set on saving him no matter what obstacles she winds up against. But, we kinda got separated from her when we first arrived here, so we're hoping to meet back up with her because of that."

John thought for a moment before starting off on another path. "Well, since we're scouting the area for savages, we might run into her on the trail."

Namine tilted her head as she hid her arms behind her back. "These 'savages' we're looking for...what are they exactly?" She tugged on her ponytail in the back. "They sound dangerous."

"Well...they're not so much dangerous as they are...different."

"Different…?" Xion asked as she stopped in her tracks. "What do you mean 'different'? Like...people?"

"Savage is just a word, a term we use for people who are uncivilized." John rested his hand on Xion's back and showed her and Namine a wide view of the land. "Look at this country! So much can be done with it! I can almost see the roads and bridges we shall build! New houses for settlers and their families!"

"Sounds like you have a pretty solid plan." Namine nodded, impressed by what she was hearing.

"We've improved the lives of savages all over the world. If we were successful then, this new world won't be any different."

"Hmm…'savage'...I don't like that term at all." Xion muttered as she crossed her arms. "I wonder if we Nobodies were ever referred to as 'savages' before."

Namine bit down on her lip. "Well, maybe not all of you, but I'm sure a few Organization members earned the rightful title."

Xion chuckled as she threw her hands behind her head. "Well, I guess you can't get any worse than the Organization." She stared ahead and watched John pick up the pace. "Just how _bad _can these…'savages' be?"

Keeping an eye out for "savages", Xion and Namine stuck close to John's side. While they had yet to run into any yet, Heartless did manage to try and ambush them a number of times. Xion and Namine were more than capable of taking them out themselves, but appreciated John throwing in the effort to try and fight them off himself. He proved to be quite handy with his rifle and managed to get a few really good shots on some Heartless that appeared to be a farther distance away that could've potentially performed a sneak attack on either one of them. In the girls' eyes, maybe there was truly more to John than just the popular charismatic adventurer vibe that he gave off before.

After several miles of climbing cliffs, rocks, and fighting off trees and Heartless, Xion and Namine started to finally feel the effects of hiking on uneven land for so long. Even if they proved to be quite competent travelers, they still had their limits, just like John had his limits, which, if he could be honest, he could've rested a few miles earlier, but wouldn't admit it to a bunch of girls. They came up to a peaceful spot by a waterfall and all the girls could think of splashing their tired feet in the cool water or splashing water on their sweaty faces.

"Phew! How long have been going for?" Namine asked as she leaned against a rock.

Xion sighed wiped her brow. "Long enough…The forest in Twilight Town is a playground compared to this place."

John nodded in agreement as he set his rifle and helmet down on the ground. "I agree. I think it's time we took a breather." He knelt down on the ground as he splashed water on his face.

Namine also splashed herself while Xion sat down at the water's edge and dipped her feet in. It felt so relaxing. They had done some hardcore hiking that day and were ready for a rest. The mist from the large waterfall brushed their faces, cooling them off and dampening the bangs on Namine and Xion's foreheads. The wind blew softly, creating a sort of chill in the air. Not a sight or sound in the air other than the crashing waterfall. Yet, it was the lack of sound that had Xion remaining alert to her surroundings, almost to a fault. She leaned over and could've sworn she saw someone lurking from the cliffs behind them and to some extent, checking them out. Xion took a look back only to find that there wasn't anyone there. She shrugged it off and continued to lightly splash her feet.

Despite not being able to see anything, the sound of rustling in the nearby bushes was enough to send everyone over the edge. Namine hopped to her feet and began frantically scoping out the general area. Yet, she also tried to keep her cool considering they had run into both Heartless and innocent animals since leaving the campsite. Xion also heard that intense rustling that drove her curiosity up. She slipped her boots back on and summoned her Keyblade. Taking cues from the girls, as well as hearing the rustling himself, John hopped to his feet and grabbed his rifle, readying it for anything.

"Who's there?" John yelled out.

Namine summoned her Keyblade. "Don't jump to conclusions just yet. It could be just a harmless little animal. We've seen a lot of those today."

"At the same time…" Xion muttered as she summoned her Keyblade. "We've already encountered the Heartless once here. It's best to stay cautious."

"Alright. The three of us should split up." He suggested.

Xion nodded. "Good idea. Namine and I will head back this way if you wanna stick around here."

Armed with their Keyblades, Namine and Xion headed into the woods, following the sound of the rustling. It seemed to take them in multiple directions, making them wonder if it was more than one thing causing the sound. There was one particular bush that was rustling aggressively. Xion held her Keyblade as she tiptoed towards it. Namine kept close behind, also ready to strike. Part of her wanted to believe it was just another animal, but Xion thought it was too aggressive to be just an innocent animal.

Yet, as soon as they were within arm's reach a familiar figure dashed out of the bushes, nearly jump scaring all three of them.

"Kairi?" Namine and Xion yelled in unison.

Kairi gasped. "Namine! Xion!" She leapt forward and pulled her friends into a hug. "I'm so glad you're both here! We've been looking everywhere for you!"

"We've been looking everywhere for _you_!" Namine exclaimed as she took Kairi's hands in hers and shook them. "I thought you got eaten by a bear or something!"

"Well, considering I've already cheated death twice, I can't blame you."

Xion frowned and placed a hand on Kairi's shoulder. "Wait...you said _we_?"

Kairi nodded, smiling widely. "Yeah! I met a new friend here! Her name is Pocahontas! She's a little different than what we're used to, but she's amazing and I want you both to meet her! We came down here looking for you two and so she could see this giant ship that just arrived up close."

Namine giggled. "Well, you'll definitely have to introduce us to her!"

"Wait…"

"Now what, Xion?" Kairi asked, tilting an eyebrow in confusion. "All you've done is interrogate me since you and Namine found me.

"No, this is serious...did you say your friend was..._different_?"

"Yeah...why?"

Xion gasped. "Oh my gosh…" She thought back to what John had explained to her and Namine about how savages were 'different'. She remembered that's what they were scouting the area for, which meant… "Kairi! We have to go! Your friend might be in danger!"

"What?"

Kairi summoned her Keyblade before she and Namine followed Xion back towards the falls. Suddenly, the stress of being separated really started to kick in. She figured that Pocahontas had become distracted with the blonde-haired fellow they both saw from a distance and lost track of Kairi. Regardless, Kairi took her duty and promise to protect Pocahontas seriously, even if she knew how strong she was. She sprinted through the woods, following the sound of the falls, until they came upon the spot where Xion and Namine were resting with John. They saw Pocahontas perched on a rock in the river, but there was no sign of John, which had them all worried.

"There she is!" Kairi pointed out.

Xion gasped as John jumped out from behind the waterfall, aiming his rifle towards Pocahontas. "There he is!"

Kairi held up her Keyblade, ready to charge at John, only for Namine to hold her back by the arm. "Namine! What are you doing? He's gonna shoot her!" Kairi asked, her voice raised an octave.

Namine smiled and shook her head. "No! Kairi, Xion, look!"

Trusting in her friend, Kairi looked over at both Pocahontas and John, who had yet to actually fire his rifle. She watched in amusement as Pocahontas simply stood up straight, showing no fear towards the caucasian stranger before her. John, in the meantime, had lowered his rifle as the heavy mist faded away, revealing that young Indian princess. It didn't take a genius to know what was going on, especially in Kairi's perspective.

Despite standing off to the side, she could see into Pocahontas' eyes and recognized the look. It was a look that Kairi vividly remembered having when she was a little girl, the first time she ever saw Sora that very night on the beach when he found her, freshly landed from travelling between worlds. There was no fear in her gaze, but curiosity, and in the case of Pocahontas and John, immediate attraction. Riku would argue and Kairi and Sora fell in love at first sight when they were little, they just didn't realize it until recently. At first, she could deny it, that kids didn't know anything about love, but if this first encounter she was witnessing validated anything, it was that maybe love at first sight truly was a thing, and deep down, Kairi was a victim of it.

"Kairi? Are you seeing what I'm seeing?" Namine asked as she smiled sheepishly and folded her hands together.

Kairi nodded, the same glowing look on her face, with her arms behind her back. "You mean 'love at first sight'? Yep, I'm definitely seeing it!"

Just as it seemed like this first meeting was about to get interesting, Pocahontas took off running in the opposite direction as John stepped in the water to get closer to her.

"Does 'love at first sight' include running away from the other person?" Xion asked as she scratched the back of her head.

"Not...usually…" Kairi answered as she crossed her arms. "I don't remember running away like this as a little kid…"

What started off as a simple love at first sight encounter, suddenly became a game of Cat 'N Mouse as John began to jog after the suddenly frightened Pocahontas, leaving three very confused young ladies. Curious as to where this was going, and not wanting to lose track of their new friends, Kairi began running after the two of them with Xion and Namine trailing behind, and even Meeko and Flit suddenly coming along with the chase. Kairi recognized the direction they were going on her compass, right back to where she and Pocahontas docked their boat not that long ago.

It didn't take long to catch up to John, who was inching his way up to the water's edge, where Pocahontas sat in the canoe and eyed him suspiciously. Kairi could tell that he was trying to ease her out of her shell, very reminiscent of how Sora eased her out of her shell when she was little and barely spoke when she first arrived on the islands. Pocahontas' mix of emotions was enough to keep her conflicted on whether to place her trust in this stranger who she didn't even know the name of yet, especially someone different from her people. John, on the other hand, was quite confident and set on wanting to get to know her, quite a revelation from the young man Xion and Namine met on the ship.

As the wind blew from Kairi's direction over towards Pocahontas and John, she noticed that the two of them inched closer to one another before their hands finally locked. It seemed as if the wind spirits were trying to guide Pocahontas into connecting with John. Kairi watched as he slowly pulled her and the canoe completely to the edge and helped her out, with a beautiful vortex of wind and leaves surrounding them. She was amazed by just how in touch Pocahontas was with the spirits. Kairi was strong-willed, but was never one who dug in too deep when it came to listening to her heart or conscience. She felt pretty confident in her skills and abilities before, but considering the events of the Keyblade War, it made her wonder.

"Hmm...well what do you know?" Kairi asked as she leaned against a tree. "All he needed was to give her a chance." She laughed softly and looked up into the sky. "Just like a certain lazy bum that brought me out of my shell as a little girl."

Namine brushed hair behind her ear as she exchanged a wide grin with Kairi. "I always knew John was a charmer at heart." She began twiddling with her fingers. "Kinda reminds me of Riku a little bit. He's so quiet, but I know deep down there's a side of him that he has yet to open his heart to." Kairi nodded in response before she and Namine both turned to Xion, as if they were waiting for her to say something about a certain _blonde boy_.

Xion just looked at them and shrugged. "I've got nothing on you girls. I'm just enjoying the show." She knelt down on the ground and leaned against a boulder in front of her. "It's like Romeo and Juliet. Now all I need is two feuding families and some action and I'm set."

Kairi sighed and shook her head. "Come on girls. We should give them some time _alone_."

"Yeah." Namine nodded in agreement as she began to follow Kairi back down the path they came from only to realize they were leaving Xion behind. "Xion?"

"Xiiiiiooooooon?"

Kairi and Namine shared a hopeless look with each other before walking over to the distracted Xion and grabbing her by the arms, dragging her back with them.

"Aww, come on!" Xion groaned. "We ALWAYS skip the interesting stuff!"

* * *

**A/N: There! I'm finally done with this chapter! It's 4am, so now I'm off to bed, goodnight everyone!**


	17. Skirmish

Chapter 17: Skirmish

"So, you two got thrown into a rotting prison cell on your way here?" Kairi asked, trying not to laugh. "That's just terrible luck there!"

"I wouldn't call it luck. I'd call it more like our ship is damaged and needs to be fixed now before we end up somewhere else we don't belong." Xion muttered.

Kairi shook her head. "Well, we can't leave anyway. There's a lucky charm piece here that I still haven't found."

Namine sighed and shook her head. "We didn't catch anything of value on the ship."

"I'm starting to feel like we should invest on Launchpad tweaking either your watch or your phone so it can track down the pieces here in the world." Xion suggested. "Don't get me wrong. These worlds are beautiful, but I feel like we're wasting so much time just walking and trying to find these pieces."

"You're right." Kairi nodded in agreement. "Maybe if we catch them before they finish fixing our ship, Launchpad and the chippers can add a tracker to my watch. It's too bad it doesn't work on-wait! I just remembered! We're supposed to be trying to look for Ven too! Did you two hear anything about another Keyblade wielder here other than us?" Xion and Namine both shook their heads with disappointment. "Well, I guess we've got a nice long quest ahead of us. We might as well while Pocahontas and John are getting acquainted with each other."

Kairi stretched out her arms as she enjoyed the little nature hike with Xion and Namine. They spent most of it catching each other up on what had happened since they were separated. Kairi told the other two about her time with Powhatans, she learned how to hunt, and learned stories about their tribe. Xion couldn't help but feel jipped considering she was stuck seasick on a ship while Kairi was practically having a party with the world's natives. Namine was just relieved to not have to deal with anymore rats.

With Pocahontas and John Smith getting to know each other, the girls decided this would be the perfect time to start on their hunt for Kairi's seashell piece while also keeping their promise to Aqua that they'd help keep an eye out for Ven as well. Neither of them had much luck finding anything. All they did find was a bunch of rocks and pebbles. Xion even tried to look into a log for it, but nearly got skunked. Namine looked into a bird's nest and nearly got pecked to death by a mother bird, and Kairi almost got stuck with poison ivy. The longer the hunt went on, the more Kairi wished that her watch did have a seashell tracker.

The girls had spent a few hours hiking through the woods before they finally took a break. Just as the wonderful idea of a break planted in their minds, the faint sound of drums echoed among the trees. Kairi's head perked up and focused in the direction of the drums like a deer. She hopped from the log she was sitting on and began to step forward, Xion and Namine both watching her.

"Hey, what's that noise?" Namine asked.

"Drums, from the Powhatans. They told me that they use that to call members of the tribe for important meetings." Kairi explained in a serious tone. "I should head back, and see what's going on."

"Let us come with you, at least." Xion offered.

Kairi hesitated at first, unsure of how the Powhatans would react to her bringing two more outsider friends with her, but decided in the long run that it was better for them to stick together. She agreed and had them follow her through the thick forest, following the steady beats of the drum. Once they had approached the village, Kairi had Xion and Namine hide just outside the Powhatan grounds. The girls nodded their heads, agreeing to Kairi's request. She hurried into the village, doing a double take to make sure her friends were out of sight. Not that she had a lot to worry about to begin with.

Many members of the tribe were filing into a hut that had smoke rising out of the top. Kairi decided to follow them under the assumption that this was where the counsel meeting was taking place. Inside, Chief Powhatan, the village shaman, Kocoum, and many men and women were crowded around the fire pit. Everyone was talking amongst each other at once, making it hard for Kairi to listen in on why everyone was called to the meeting. Instead, she excused herself towards the back where the chief was about to begin the meeting.

"Chief? What's going on?" Kairi asked as she hurried to his side.

"You have arrived just in time. We've learned that there are some strange visitors in the land." Powhatan explained. "Kekata here was going to share his knowledge with us."

Kairi watched as the elderly man stepped close to the fire pit. He was humming a foreign chant that she didn't quite understand, but was bracing herself for what he had to say. She watched as Kekata sprinkled what appeared to be some earthy material into the pit. She remembered him doing this the first night she was there and when he told everyone a story around the fire, making the smoke change form on his command. With Kekata raising his arms up high, the smoke erupted from the pit, emitting a royal blue color. Kairi intensely gazed upon the human figures that formed within the smoke. Each of them donned armor and helmets just like the one John was wearing. The rifles that each figure was armed with had her attention even more.

"These men are not like us! These strange beasts, with bodies that shine, and weapons, that spill fire and thunder! They come at you like ravenous wolves!" Kekata paused as the smoke formed a new figure. This figure was completely new to Kairi, and yet, they had a sense of familiarity to them when she noticed the weapon they were holding. "There is yet another visitor, whose loyalty lies with the white men! He conceals his identity and his weapon is more akin to…"

"A Keyblade…" Kairi finished for him. She held out her hand and summoned Destiny's Embrace. "There's no mistaking it. That's definitely a Keyblade that figure is holding."

"Kairi, what do you know about this stranger?" Powhatan asked, his tone growing serious.

"With his identity concealed, I can't say for sure, but here's the thing, I have a friend who's missing that I'm trying to search for. He uses a Keyblade like mine. That figure could be him."

Kocoum nodded in agreement. "Great Powhatan, I will lead our warriors to their location and we'll destroy them the way we destroyed the Messawomecks."

"In that battle, we knew how to fight that enemy, but these pale visitors our different, as are these strange creatures they brought with them."

"Chief? How do we know the white men are responsible for the Heartless?"

"The timing is apparent. These pale visitors have invaded our land and these shadows are a result of their behavior." Powhatan claimed firmly. "Kocoum, take some men down the river to investigate. Kairi, please accompany him in the case those creatures show up again."

"Yes, sir." Both of them responded, bowing their heads.

The chief dismissed everyone from the counsel meeting promptly. Kocoum began rounding up some of the strongest young men in the tribe accompany him. This gave Kairi both a sense of relief and concern. After witnessing how strong the young men of the tribe were, she was afraid of the armored Keyblade wielder turning out to be Ven and being ambushed by the indians. Kairi requested that Kocoum and the others give her a minute to prepare before pulling out her gummiphone and tapping Xion's number.

"Kairi?" Xion answered.

"Xion, I need you and Namine to run ahead to where those white men you travelled her with are located." Kairi explained.

"Wait, why?"

"I don't have much time to explain, but the chief has ordered me to go investigate these men with some of his own. You know, see what the deal is. I need you two to run ahead of me and I'll catch up. The shaman said there's another Keyblade wielder here in this world, so there is a chance that Ven might be here and he's in the same location. Try and get a head start."

"Okay!" Xion nodded affirmatively. She hung up her phone and shoved it in her pocket while keeping it on. "Namine, let's move out!"

"Yes ma'am!"

Xion and Namine hurried away from the Powhatan village and back towards the settlers' campsite. Normally, the two of them would've gotten lost, but thanks to Kairi explaining to them about how the indians used the wind to guide them, they were able to do the same. Between following the river's current and the wind, they found the site where Ratcliffe and his men had already begun digging up the earth. Sorry, Ratcliffe _watched_ while everyone else dug. As far as they could see, there wasn't any sign or trace of Ven or any other Keyblade wielders for that matter.

Kairi managed to catch up not too long after Xion and Namine arrived at the site. Kocoum ordered everyone in the group to split up and investigate. Respecting his wishes and also wanting to check in with her friends, Kairi obeyed orders and scurried off. She also offered to get a little closer in order to keep the tribe safe. While investigating, she popped around the corner and found her and Namine hiding behind some large trees. She had to admit, this forest would've been perfect for all of those years of playing hide-and-seek with Sora and Riku back when they were little kids. The island just wasn't the most suitable for that considering how thin the palm trees were.

"We didn't see any trace of any other Keyblade wielders, so I don't think Ven is here. So, where's your tribe?" Namine asked, looking around.

"They're scouting the other side of the perimeter and are staying more hidden. I volunteered to get a little closer so that they'd be safe." Kairi took a look around and noticed the large holes in the ground. "What are they digging for?"

"Gold, I guess." Xion shrugged her shoulders.

"Well, I guess they're not really causing much harm-" Kairi's words were cut off by the sound of collapsing trees nearby them. "Wha…?" She gasped. "They're cutting down the trees!"

Xion crossed her arms, frowning. "Too bad, a lot of good trees are being wasted."

"No! You don't understand! It's more than just trees!"

"Kairi, you're right! Pocahontas has her village here like you mentioned." Namine gasped, looking deeper towards the forest.

Kairi huffed, her eyebrows furrowing as she began to march down the hill. "We have to stop them!"

"K-Kairi wait!" Xion grabbed her by the arm. "Uh...we...kinda know them...and...they sorta trust us…" She stammered sheepishly. "They also kinda threatened us with guns on the ship…"

"Then you two stay back here and keep safe. I'll deal with them myself." Kairi growled.

Xion watched with amusement as Kairi angrily stormed off from her friends. "Wow...I've never seen that girl so angry before…"

Namine chuckled. "I have."

The two girls hid behind a bush and watched as Kairi stormed her way down the hill and towards where Ratcliffe was pacing back and forth, sharing words of 'encouragement' with the diggers. Words of encouragement meaning him approaching each man and asking them if they've dug anything up yet. Any average person could tell they were getting frustrated from digging for several hours and not being able to find anything. Kairi couldn't care less about their frustration at the moment, and cared even less about the strange looks she was getting from them as she kicked the dirt behind in her steps.

"EXCUSE ME!" Kairi yelled as she approached the towering governor.

Ratcliffe rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "Oh great...another woman…"

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Poor naive woman. You're standing on top of what could be mountains of gold! Perfect land for civilized men and their wives!"

Kairi scowled up at her towering enemy. "Well, you need to cut it out! You'll destroy the homes of people who actually live here!"

"What a riot…" He waved her off. "Please return to your humble home or wherever it is you come from…"

"THAT'S IT!" Kairi shouted, not taking the disrespect from Ratcliffe. "I'm gonna give you thirty seconds to grab your crew and get out of here! 30! 29! 28! 27!" She began counting down at the top of her lungs.

Ratcliffe rolled his eyes and turned his back to her, snapping for a couple men to easily pick her up by the arms and carry her away. As Kairi was lifted off the ground and carried away, she began kicking her feet and yelling in audibly. This was the second time she was being picked up by some douche-y men to be tossed to the side and she was having enough of it. Much to her luck, one of the Powhatans had gotten a little closer, having heard her distressed calls. The mere sight of the indian was enough to spook the men carrying Kairi to suddenly lose their grip and drop her hard on the ground.

"SAVAGES!" The men cried out and began running back.

"Wait! No! They're-" Kairi yelled at them. She groaned as she rubbed her bottom that she had landed on. "Oooh, that's gonna bruise…" As she began to stand up, a swarm of Heartless appeared, beginning to thrash about in the perimeter. "Of course there has to be Heartless involved…" Kairi muttered under her breath.

"It's an ambush! Arm yourselves!" Ratcliffe ordered.

"Stop! You don't understand!" Kairi pleaded for them to listen.

Ignoring Kairi's plea, the settlers retreated to where their guns were located. Ratcliffe called out for the others to begin shooting at the Powhatans, ignoring the Heartless. While everyone obeyed his orders promptly, Thomas had a minor slip up and aimed the wrong way, earning some harsh words from Ratcliffe in response. The Powhatans, on the other hand, had begun shooting back at the settlers. This left Kairi against the Heartless on her own. She summoned her Keyblade and got ready to fight off the swarm by herself until Namine and Xion caught up to her, summoning their own Keyblades.

"Kairi!" Both girls called out her name.

"I think this just got a lot worse…" Kairi muttered as her eyes scanned the area. .

The three girls separated and began charging at the Heartless, one by one. The Soldiers had begun thrusting their legs towards each of them with hard kicks while the Deserters scattered around like cowards, similarly to the ones Xion and Namine had fought earlier. Unfortunately, Kairi didn't get the memo that if one of these got taken out, the rest of them would ambush her. As she cast a powerful Water spell on one, taking it out, the rest of them swarmed her and began kicking her back forth between them like a pinball machine. Lucky for her, Namine cast a Thunder spell and got rid of them before she could suffer any major damage, though she did end up casting Cure due to the lingering pain on her boney behind.

Xion swung her Keyblade and took out another Soldier before looking back and noticing that a Large Armor was sneaking up behind Kairi and Namine, who were both working on taking out the Canon Guns. She aimed her Keyblade and threw a Strike Raid towards the Large Armor, thankfully hitting it from the back and knocking it over onto its belly. Kairi and Namine both heaved sighs of relief and threw a nod of gratitude towards Xion. Namine cast a Blizzard spell on the Large Armor while Kairi leapt above and trusted her Keyblade into its back, shattering the Heartless.

With how much the Heartless were distracting the girls, neither of them were paying much attention to the other battle that was going on, the one between the indians and settlers. While they could hear the gunshots, it wasn't enough to distract them compared to the sounds of their Keyblades coming into contact with the Heartless, especially considering they all wore armor of some kind. Kairi temporarily separated from Xion and Namine to take care of some Heartless that were going after Kocoum and another indian.

The Large Body appeared right in front of them and charged its body, ready the slam the two young men with its belly. Kairi managed to get between them right one cue and countered, knocking the Large Body back and down. With the Heartless now down, Kairi yelled for the two men to stand back as she held her Keyblade up, casting a Thunder spell. The spell paralyzed the Large Body, leaving it open for Kairi to finish it off with a powerful vortex swing. Little did she realize that by backing off from her Thunder spell, the young indian that was with Kocoum was left wide open to an attack. Ratcliffe, noticing the defenseless Powhatan, aimed his rifle and shot at his leg, causing him to fall to the ground, grunting intensely in pain.

"Oh no!" Kairi cried. She ran over to the fallen Powhatan just as Kocoum did, kneeling down beside him. "We have to help him, quick!"

As Kairi was about to hold up her Keyblade to cast a Cure spell on the young man, she caught sight of a shadow of one of the settlers, who had raised his rifle, ready to assault either of the young men. She hopped to her feet and blocked the settler's attack. He was quite strong and the rifle had some weight to it, but Kairi managed to put all of her weight into knocking him back and away from both of the Powhatans. She shot a deadly glare towards him before looking back towards Kocoum, who had picked up the wounded young man and slung him over his shoulders. He called for everyone to return to the village, which included Kairi.

Just as she could follow him back, Kairi heard a slight shake in the earth. She, along with Xion and Namine, looked back and saw that a larger Heartless had emerged from the woods. It had resembled a tree with arms and eyes that glowed usual gold color. It travelled around on its roots like a spider on its legs. Both the settlers and the Powhatans knew, based on Kairi's gasp, that this thing was trouble. She yelled out for everyone to stay back and get to safety and ran up to Xion and Namine to support them.

"Everyone ready to chop down some firewood?" Xion asked.

Namine nodded. "I needed some new paper for my sketchbook!"

"Let's go, girls!" Kairi encouraged.

The tree Heartless began charging at the girls, with them charging back in retaliation. Kairi held up her watch and began scanning the enemy. According to its data, its name was Raging Pine. Kairi took notice of the roots, which were its weakness. She also gave Namine the heads up that its elemental weaknesses were fire and ice, the latter of which neither she or Xion could cast. Xion followed Kairi towards the roots where they began wailing attacks on, causing the Raging Pine to stumble and roar in pain. It countered and kicked Kairi and Xion smack across the land, leaving Namine to be within the closest range. She quickly cartwheeled out of the way as one of it's large branch-like arms swung towards her.

Namine bounced back and shot a Fire spell at the Heartless' arm. It watched the limb ignite and began swinging it around in pain. Namine flashed a cocky smile before the Raging Pine began to smack its arm against the ground, causing all three girls to lose their balance and fall. All three of them looked up with despaired looks on their faces as they saw that the Heartless had put the fire out from its arm. The Raging Pine roared and began stomping its roots right by Namine. Lucky for her, Xion had already fired her Keyblade at the roots like a boomerang, slicing them from the rest of the body.

Kairi hurried over and helped Namine up before the three of them resumed fighting off the Heartless. It aimed an arm at Xion and suddenly began relentlessly firing pine needles at her. She held her arm out in front of her body attempting to shield herself, only for the pain to become too much for her and took her down to the ground. Namine shot a Blizzard spell at the arm and stopped its projectile attack while Kairi rushed over and cast a Cure spell on Xion, allowing her to get back up with full energy.

With the Raging Pine's arm frozen, the girls noticed the ice worked better in making him immobile due to the extra mass from the iceberg that form around its limb. The trio exchanged an affirmative nod before Namine aimed her Keyblade at the center of the Heartless and shot a Blizzard spell. The impact caused it to pause in its tracks and let out an agonizing roar. With the enemy now slowed down, Kairi and Xion dashed forward and leapt head on towards the enemy, initiating their Fire Tornado team attack. The flames contacted with the frozen body and caused it to melt completely.

With the Heartless' central body shutting down, it collapsed onto the ground and began to fade away, with the hostaged heart floating away. With the Heartless no longer an issue, the trio high-fived each other before the sounds of cheering settlers turned their attention towards them. Xion and Namine laughed sheepishly at their accomplishment while Kairi immediately looked in the direction that Kocoum had run off towards. Wanting to make sure the wounded indian was okay, she began sprinting along the trail with Xion and Namine following her. Ratcliffe emerged and was not thrilled with the situation at all. Even with the impressive victory from the girls, all he could focus on was the fact that there were 'savages' within the perimeter.

"Shut up, you fools! They'll be back!" Ratcliffe yelled. Everyone silenced and turned to him. "Everyone back to camp, at once!" He ordered, dismissing the men from their digging site. As his feet stomped against the ground, Ratcliffe turned and shot a hateful scowl towards an ashamed Thomas. "And _you_, learn to use that thing _properly_. A man's not a man unless he learns how to shoot."

With everyone dispersing, Ratcliffe stormed back to the campsite and into the tent. He had a "long day of digging" and the first thing on his mind was getting some rest and trying to wash his mind of the presence of the indians. Ratcliffe removed his cape and hung it up while tossing his hat to the side. Releasing a heavy sigh, he leaned over a pail of water and began soaking his face, immediately shaking it from the cold temperature that tickled his skin.

As Ratcliffe reached for a rag to wipe it dry, he paused in his motion as soon as the faint sound of another individual filled the tent. He heard the sound of slow clapping, an obvious sign that this individual had somewhat of an attitude. It was none other than Aros, out on his mission assigned to him from Luxu. He stepped closer towards Ratcliffe while continuing to clap for his "accomplishments".

"Bravo, bravo, you've got those peasants wrapped around your fancy little finger there." Aros slyly congratulated the greedy governor.

Ratcliffe scoffed before doing a double take and grabbing his sword. As he swung, Aros summoned his Keyblade and blocked his attack, instantly rendering Ratcliffe immobile.

"Whoa, you pulled a _fast _one on me, gov."

"Just who are you, exactly?" Ratcliffe asked with suspicion in his expression.

Aros shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, my name is not important. The important thing is I know _what _you want, and I know exactly _how _you can get it."

Ratcliffe stared at the armored Keyblade wielder for a moment as he leaned against the post holding up his tent and flicked a gold coin in his hand. "Please, enlighten me."

"You keep telling those gullible idiots that you're here for the sole purpose of digging up gold, turning this land into a civilization, but you and I both know that's not the case, is it, Ratty?" Aros sped over to Ratcliffe and rested a hand on the governor's bulky shoulder. "You want the fame, the fortune, and to be beloved and worshipped by women all around, just like that fellow...John Smith, right? Eh, such a common name too." 

"The men do like Smith, as does all of London." He admitted with a grumble.

"What if I told you that I could give you all of that, and _more_?"

Ratcliffe cocked an eyebrow up, intrigued by Aros' offer, yet suspicious. "And just why are you doing this?"

Aros chuckled before pacing around the tent, playing with a black and white feather. "Ratty, I like you. We both have something in common. We're stubborn, and we'll fight to get what we want, even if we gotta take losers out that get in our way, is that right? I think I recall you struggling with these…'savages'?" He pinched the feather.

"I did. They'll be back, along with those shadow creatures that those girls got rid of. When they strike again, my men will be ready." Ratcliffe threatened as he peeked outside of his tent and saw the settlers building the fort.

"Well good news! You got those men believing that those savages are the cause for those shadows. Well, what if I told you I could give you full control of those shadows?"

Ratcliffe huffed, scowling at Aros. "And just _why _would I want anything to do with those things?"

"Simple, really." Aros held an arm out in front of him and Ratcliffe. "Think about it. Those shadows, which by the way, are called Heartless, they come from me. You've got those men believing the indians can summon Heartless. You take control of the Heartless, and you've won the battle. You stage a little _incident_ with my Heartless, you get your men to believe the indians were responsible for it, and you wage war on that tribe without warning. They're unprepared...and BAM! You are the hero you've always wanted to be, and you get the land you wanted."

"That is a plan…" Ratcliffe sneered. His snake-like grin faded only seconds later. "Only, there is a problem. There is that _one girl_."

"Hmmm, I assume you're talking about that red-headed girl?"

"She's the one. I saw her running off with those savages earlier, and she had a giant key like yours. She must be that tribe's protector."

Aros laughed. "You'd be right, but here's the funny thing about that girl. She's a fighter, so if you wanna get to her, you have to attack her internal weaknesses. Right now, she has established loyalty to the indians. You wanna get to her, use those Heartless and attack that tribe!" He demanded, almost in a desperate manner.

Ratcliffe scoffed. "You seem desperate in your orders."

"I have been given orders to apprehend that girl and to bring her to my master. To do that, I need her away from that tribe _and _her friends."

"I suppose you want that in exchange for this power you promised me?"

Aros gasped. "Very good, Ratty!" He applauded. "I give you _full _control of my Heartless, and you get that girl alone." He held out his hand. "Do we have a deal, governor?"

Ratcliffe stared at Aros' hand for a moment before a sinister grin curled on his lips, bright white teeth reflecting in the sunlight that barely peeked into the tenth. He took Aros' hand and gripped it tightly, waves of darkness surrounding Ratcliffe as his eyes began to glow a bright yellow color in the irises.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Kairi had made it back to the Powhatan village with as good of time as she could. She paused for a moment and let Xion and Namine catch up. This time around, she didn't think to have them stand off to the side and try to stay out of her sight. All Kairi cared about was making sure the injured young man was okay. To say Xion and Namine got surprised looks from other tribe members was an understatement, but thanks to their trust in Kairi, she was able to assure them that they were her friends and the tribe could trust them too.

"These beasts invade our land, and now this…" Powhatan sighed heavily. "Kekata, what do you know of this wound?"

"This wound is strange to me."

Kairi sighed. "I'm not sure of my healing abilities, but Namine here is better than I am, for sure."

"Me?" Namine asked as she shuddered of anxious energy.

Xion nudged the blonde forward. "She can try."

"Well...okay…"

Namine raised up her Keyblade. She shut her eyes and channeled her light energy into her weapon, casting as powerful of a Cure spell as she could over the young man. Everyone watched with amusement as green light appeared above the injured young man. Once the light had faded, Kekata tapped the spot where the injury was. As it turned out, Namine's heal spell had indeed failed and the injury was still very present.

"I guess even our healing magic isn't enough sometimes…" Kairi sighed with disappointment.

"I'm sorry…" Namine apologized. Xion and Kairi both patted her backs with assurance in their faces.

"Kairi, was there any sign of that other stranger?" Powhatan asked with concern in his voice.

"No, I'm starting to worry myself."

Chief Powhatan looked sternly at Kocoum. "Come with me, we need to talk alone."

Kairi watched with concern as Powhatan left the house. He appeared to not make any eye contact with anyone inside and his movements were brisk. She looked back at Xion and Namine, who could only shrug, just as confused as she was. Kocoum followed closely behind the chief and Kairi tried to follow both of them, only for Kocoum to hold her back. She sighed and sat on a boulder. Even if Kairi wasn't officially a member of the tribe, she cared about them enough that she wanted to do what she could to hold her promise to protect them. Therefore, if something was going on, she wanted to know.

"Kocoum, I am concerned about my daughter and my people. First, these strange creatures, and then these pale visitors. We must fight this enemy, but we cannot do it alone. We must send messengers to every village in our nation and call on our brothers to help us fight." Powhatan explained with heaviness in his heart.

"Chief, Kocoum." Nakoma stepped into the tent. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but it's about those shadows, I need to speak with you." 

"What do you know about them?" Kocoum asked, intense curiosity in his eyes.

"Didn't they start appearing right before that strange girl showed up?" Powhatan and Kocoum exchanged questioning looks before nodding. "I think those shadows are connected to that girl and her friends."

"Please, explain." Powhatan urged.

Nakoma sighed, a hand running up and down, as if she had seen something terrifying. "Earlier today, I saw a young man, and he carried a large key just like hers. He seemed to be trying to stay out of sight, almost like he was watching our village. I knew Pocahontas and Kairi were out in the woods, so I started to follow him while keeping my distance behind, up until he stopped and then there was another one. This time, a young girl. They both had bodies that shined like the one that Kekata saw in his vision. The young man held out a hand, and suddenly those shadows materialized right in front of them." Her voice grew shaky the more she explained. "Chief, I think those girls might be behind those shadows." 

Kocoum sighed and shook his head. "Just as I suspected. She's not one of us. We can't trust her." 

"Kocoum, Nakoma, your concerns are taken to heart, but Kairi has proven to be a valuable ally. However, the safety of my daughter and my people do take priority. If you believe that she isn't all that she seems, then she'll be taken under a watchful eye here in the village."

"What will that accomplish, Chief? Keeping her close to the village will only endanger our people even more and those creatures will continue to attack. She could betray us at any given moment."

"Chief, what about Pocahontas?" Nakoma asked, her voice full of concern.

Powhatan exhaled deeply and turned his face away from Kocoum and Nakoma, staring towards the opening of the tent that only had a tad bit of light cracking through the flap.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

"What could they be talking about in there? It's driving me crazy." Kairi asked, groaning.

Xion twiddled a piece of grass in her fingers impatiently. "Probably tribe-related stuff, if you ask me." 

"Yeah, but-" 

"Kairi, remember what Merlin told you about 'world order'? About getting involved with the affairs of other worlds?" Namine asked, stopping her friend. "Maybe this is a time we should just let things work out for themselves." 

"But I can't, I swore loyalty and promised I'd protect the tribe!" Kairi sighed, frustrated.

"We understand that, but you're still an outsider and there's only so much you can do. No offense, but if anything, you're more or less a tool they're using to get rid of the Heartless since their weapons are useless compared to our Keyblades." Xion said with disappointment in her voice. "I know this because that's what Namine and I are to those settlers that you dealt with today."

"No...that can't be true...They treated me like family…" She whispered.

"Where's Pocahontas then?" Namine asked, her eyes scanning the area. "You two are supposed to be good friends, right?"

"Of course we are!"

Xion shoved her hands in her pockets and shrugged her shoulders. "But we haven't seen her since she and John got acquainted."

Kairi sighed, her eyes darting to the ground. "True…"

The opening to the tent flung open with Powhatan briskly walking out, Kocoum and Nakoma following behind him. Kairi, Namine, and Xion all turned their attention as did the rest of the tribe, who awaited for

"Let this be an order from your chief." Powhatan announced. "These white men are dangerous, so _nobody _is to go near them. If you encounter any shadow creatures, you are to report them to me immediately. Kairi, I am leaving your personally in charge of my daughter. She is to stay away from those men."

"Yes, sir!" Kairi bowed her head.

"Wow, he's really cracking down on that." Xion rubbed the side of her head.

Kairi sighed, her eyes staring at the ground. "And Pocahontas is with…" She looked out towards the woods. "We'd better go find her and let her know what's going on."

With the trio in agreement, it was back down towards the river to find Pocahontas, respecting the chief's orders. Thinking that she was enjoying her time with John Smith, Kairi didn't want to hurry too much. She was a big advocate of blossoming romance and didn't want to come off killjoy. After all, the chief did say to find Pocahontas, but he never specified how soon to retrieve her. Besides, it was getting close to dusk and the skies were started to turn a cool pinkish color. It was one of the most beautiful sunsets Kairi had ever seen. Twilight Town may have been named and famous for its sunsets, but cooler colors made this world's sunsets unique. Between the sunset, a various animals retreating to their habitats to settle in for the night had a sense of ambience that she wanted to enjoy, knowing very well she may not ever get to experience this ever again. Xion and Namine had also grown to love the place as well.

Looking up ahead, Kairi saw Meeko scurrying in their direction with Flit flying right behind. She found it peculiar that they were by themselves and not with Pocahontas. Kairi only took it as a sign that she was distracted and not paying too much attention. Could she really blame her though? Kairi was just as guilty of being the type to get distracted very easily.

"Hey Meeko! What's going on, buddy?" Kairi cooed at the raccoon. "You got third-wheeled?" She laughed as she picked him up and held him out to Namine and Xion. "This is Meeko, Pocahontas' friend." She watched as Flit flew from behind her head and perched onto her shoulder, tweeting. "Oh yeah, and this is Flit. He doesn't like strangers, but he'll warm up to ya."

Namine laughed as she pet Meeko. "Well, he's cute for sure!"

"Wow, even the raccoon is being kicked to the curb over a guy." Xion chuckled in amusement as she scratched Meeko's shoulder blade. He purred before crawling down Kairi's side and sticking his snout into her pouch. "Whoa! He's going after your pouch!"

Kairi rolled her eyes and scooped him back up with two cookies in his mouth. "He likes Selphie's cookies, almost _too much_."

"What a bottomless pit you are." Namine cooed. "So, what's the update on the lovebirds, Meeko?"

Meeko pointed in the direction towards the girls followed him up until they came up to some tall bushes that were capable of hiding them enough while also providing enough of a view to see Pocahontas and John sitting along the river. Much to their luck, the bushes' placement also allowed them to get close enough to vaguely listen to their current conversation. Kairi couldn't help but smile. They had to have been talking for _hours_ if they were still together at this point in the day. Flit was tweeting aggressively, obviously not approving of what was happening. Meeko climbed onto Kairi's shoulders and peeked over her head while she gently held Flit in her hands.

"John, where do you come from?" Pocahontas asked, her curiosity peaked.

John held his arm out towards the water. "I'm from a place across the ocean, called London."

"London...so that's your village?"

"Yes, it's a very big village." He proudly claimed.

Pocahontas smiled widely as she leaned toward him more. "What's it like?"

"It's got streets, filled with castles, carriages, and buildings…"John looked up and held his arms out. "Buildings as tall as trees."

"And you didn't like this London?"

"It's not that. It just didn't have what I want."

"And this land does?" Pocahontas tilted her head to the side.

John laughed with amusement and stood up. "Well yeah, just look at it! This place is incredible!"

Back at the bushes, Kairi sighed before giving Xion and Namine a helpless look. She didn't have it in her to break up the fun Pocahontas and John were having. That would've been like if somebody tried to intrude on her and Sora when they were sharing the Paopu fruit. In her eyes, it wasn't fair for her and Sora to have their special moments and not let someone else have them. Granted, life wasn't fair for her at the moment in general, but she chose to work with the best she could, all things considered.

"Ugh...girls, we can't impose on them…they're bonding!" Kairi groaned.

Xion jabbed her in the arm with an elbow. "Didn't the chief just say nobody could go near any of the white men?"

"I'm sorry, I just don't have it in me. I know what it's like in the beginning...falling in love for the first time."

Namine sighed, twiddling her fingers. "I do too." 

"I...I'm...not even sure what that feels like. I wish I knew…" Xion said, her expression lowering.

"Well, there's no need to rush into it, Xion. You've only been your own person for a year." Kairi encouraged while resting a hand on her back. She looked back at Pocahontas and John, who had disappeared out of sight. "I...I can't break true love apart…"

"True love? They've only known each other for one day though." Namine pointed out. "At least you and Sora were childhood friends first."

Kairi shook her head. "It's not always about the time, it's the connection. I can just see it in their eyes, their body language, there's a connection." She stood up and began walking away. "Let's at least give them the rest of the night to bond. In the meantime, let's get back to our mission."

Despite Xion and Namine not agreeing with her completely, they decided to go along with Kairi and continue their hunt for Ven and her seashell in the immediate area. In the meantime, Pocahontas had gotten around to sharing her world with John. She wanted to show him the true beauty of the forest and that it wasn't just a place that he could take control of, which he accidentally slipped to her. They went running through the pine trails, tasted the sun-sweet berries, and rolled with all the riches around them. It was a windy night, which made for a beautiful night when the leaves floated along with them. Kairi even caught wind of the leaves that blew through the sky and circled her.

Pocahontas introduced John to the animals she had become friends with over the years. He got up close with a family of deer, went swimming with a pair of otters, and even met a couple of majestic eagles. It was here that John had begun to understand what Pocahontas was saying about how people and the earth were all connected and that not one man owned the land, rivers, or the animals.

As the day's sun began to set and the moon rose, Kairi, Namine, and Xion all turned in the direction of the wolf's howl, indicating that it was time for them to end their quest for the day. Having stuck rather close by to where Pocahontas and John were and essentially following them throughout the evening, they were able to find them rather easily. Feeling like it was a good moment to invite themselves in, Kairi appeared from behind some pushes where Pocahontas and John were standing under a tree and admiring the moonlight. Xion and Namine followed behind and waved, getting the couple's attention.

"Pocahontas!" Kairi greeted. "And this must be famous John Smith." She said with a smirk.

John smiled crookedly and folded his arms. "I don't believe we met."

"I'm Kairi."

"So this is the friend you two were referring to."

Xion and Namine nodded. "Yep, we found her earlier and decided to leave you two alone for some bonding time." Namine giggled.

"Oh yeah, Pocahontas, this is Namine and Xion, the two friends we were searching for earlier two." Kairi introduced her friends.

"Wingapo!" Pocahontas waved her arm in a circle.

"What does that mean?" Xion asked, scratching her head.

Kairi leaned over and whispered, "It means 'hello' in their language."

"Oh! Wingapo!" Xion repeated back, Namine also repeating it.

"Well, I hate to cut in, but Pocahontas, it is getting late, and we should be heading back to your village. Especially because...there's...kind of a situation." Kairi attempted to explain.

"Is there trouble?" She asked, concerned.

"A little, so we'd better get back before it gets worse." 

Pocahontas nodded affirmatively. "I have to go." She began to walk in the direction of her village before John reached forward and grabbed her hand.

"Wait, I want to see you again."

"Please, I'm sorry, I can't."

Without another word, Pocahontas released herself from John's grip and began jogging back into the woods. Kairi watched helplessly before turning back to her friends, who both looked just as torn as she was earlier that day.

"You two better go back with John to the camp, and see what's happening on their side." Kairi whispered to Xion and Namine. "Call me if you hear anything."

During the long walk back to the village, Kairi explained to Pocahontas what had gone down at the digging site earlier that day. She told her everything. She shared with her the battle between her people and John's men, the Heartless ambush, and about the young man who was injured. Kairi could see the disappointment grow on Pocahontas' face the more she learned about what the white men had done to her people. It only made it harder for Kairi to be honest. She could tell that Pocahontas had established a strong connection with John and having to break this to her wasn't easy.

Upon arriving at the village, Pocahontas and Kairi went to check in with the chief. He reiterated what he had said to Kairi earlier about being in charge of protecting his daughter at all times. While Kocoum and Nakoma did have a point about how the timing between her arrival and the Heartless' arrival aligned almost perfectly, there was still something in him that helped continue to solidify his trust in Kairi. Happy that Pocahontas was home safe, Powhatan bid goodnight to the girls before he retreated to their home. Still wishing to discuss the current situation with Pocahontas, Kairi took a seat with her at a campfire. Lucky for them, there was nobody else really out since most of the tribe had already gone to sleep.

"So my father has ordered everyone to stay away from them?" Pocahontas asked, her tone bracing the inevitable. Kairi nodded slowly. "I understand. It's for the best. I mean, I _want _to see him again, but…"

"It's a tough situation, I know." Kairi sighed, her tone sympathetic when she saw the disappointed look in her friend's face. She briefly smiled and placed a hand on her shoulder. "But, don't lose hope. We'll figure something out. If there's one lesson I'll never forget, it's to never give up on those you care about."

Pocahontas nodded. "That's what Grandmother Willow taught me as well."

"With that in mind, you are my friend, and I'll do whatever I can to help you, just like you helped me in my time of need."

"Thank you, Kairi."

Kairi laughed softly and nodded. "So, now that we got the serious talk out of the way," She scooted closer and rested her chin on her hands, smiling widely like a child. "What's he like?" She asked in a teasing manner.

"Well...he sure is...different." Pocahontas smiled warmly as she placed a hand over heart. "I'm not sure what it is, but it's like I feel like our hearts were connecting so strongly today."

"Awww, look at you, you're blushing!"

"What?" 

"Your face is red!" Kairi pointed out.

Pocahontas shook her head, covering a cheek with her hand. "No it isn't!"

"Mmmmhm! You can't hide it, Pocahontas!"

"Well, why don't you tell me more about the boy you're searching for? I don't know how much about him either." Pocahontas asked, teasing Kairi just as much.

Kairi laughed sheepishly. "I've got _a lot _of stories about that boy."

Nakoma suddenly popped from around the corner. "What are we talking about here?" She asked.

"Uh...nothing! Just told her a funny story!" Kairi lied. She hated lying to others, but she couldn't risk anyone finding out about Pocahontas and John's rendezvous. Her eyes darted towards Pocahontas, who simply nodded. "In fact, we were just turning in for the night, right?"

Pocahontas nodded, the two of them standing up. "We'll see you in the morning, Nakoma.

Watching the two girls walk over towards Pocahontas' house, Nakoma couldn't help but put her hands on her hips and shake her head. She had a feeling the two of them were up to something. It only made her suspect Kairi and her reasoning for staying in the village to begin with. Now that she had found her friends, why was she still here when there were plenty of warriors to protect the tribe as it was? Nakoma sighed heavily before walking back towards her house, taking one more look at the laughing Kairi and Pocahontas. A painful pit formed in her stomach as she watched her best friend disappear into the darkness of her home with a complete outsider.

Xion and Namine both let out large yawns as they approached the camp. Feeling like he could get away with it, John teased them for finally feeling exhausted after their long expedition that day. The girls naturally retaliated by teasing him about his time bonding with Pocahontas. Being a typical guy, of course he would brush it off like it was nothing, but they weren't stupid, and Namine could especially tell thanks to the amount of time being inside of Kairi's heart and bonding with Riku over the past few months. There was definitely infatuation going on between the two.

John reached his tent and parted ways with the girls as he turned in for the night. Xion and Namine were lucky enough to have the settlers' extra tent to sleep in. It was much better than sleeping on the ground. They honestly would've gone with Kairi to the village now that the natives were familiar with them, but considering the feud that was escalating between the indians and the settlers, it was better for them to split up and share dirty details with each other before it got too out of hand. Right by their tent, Namine noticed Thomas sitting right along the beach, throwing pebbles along the water's surface.

"Hello? Thomas?" Namine asked.

"Oh, hello there, ladies." He greeted. "I suppose you had a long day with John." 

"Yep! We travelled all throughout the land and found our friend." Xion said while throwing her hands behind her head.

"Oh? Then where's your friend?"

Namine and Xion looked at each other, trying to come up with an excuse for why Kairi wasn't with them. "Uh...she...uh…well…She's doing her business!" Xion finally came up with. "She can also be pretty shy, so you may not see her, at least for now."

Thomas scratched the side of his head. "Well, if she's anything like you two, I won't be a bother to her. Can't afford to anger anyone else today."

"Wait? Anger anyone else? What do you mean?" Namine asked.

"Well, you three were there during that battle with the indians. I just...I had a rough start…" Thomas said with a hint of disappointment in his voice as he took a seat against a post and tossed a pebble.

Xion sighed before sympathetically smiling and sitting down next to him. "Hey, we all started off somewhere. Didn't you mention this was your first big voyage?" Thomas nodded. "So you are rusty when you first start, big deal."

"Xion's right, you know." Namine sat down with them. She held out her hand and summoned her Keyblade. "I only started using my Keyblade recently, and...well...I still have a lot to learn about how to become better at it. Just like I'll learn and grow, so will you. One way or another, you'll grow and become stronger just like these enormous trees here!"

"It doesn't really help all that much when you're the youngest guy here and everyone looks down upon you." Thomas mentioned.

Xion laughed and shook her head. "Let me tell you about that. About a year, maybe almost two years ago, I was part of an Organization, and I was the 'newest' member. And guess what? Nobody could care less about me. I was…" She paused, her confident expression fading. "I was nothing but a mere puppet...used for their dirty work…"

"I'm sorry."

"But I'm not anymore. I made two great friends who took me under their wings when nobody else would. True friends will have your back in the most dire situations. Even if it takes time, you'll get there." Xion encouraged.

"Be careful about who you become friends with, because one day, you may become stranded with them on a ship." Namine teased with a mischievous smile.

Xion smiled mischievously back and threw a leaf at her. "I'll remember that the next time I see a rat scurrying about!"

"Ew! No thanks!"

Thomas laughed at the girls' shenanigans before standing back up. "I appreciate the encouragement, ladies." He stretched his arms out. "I'd better get some shuteye. I've got a long day of digging ahead of me."

Namine nodded in agreement, standing up and helping Xion up. "We've got an intense manhunt ahead of us too. We'd better get some rest too."

Xion and Namine were the last ones to fall asleep at the camp. They dimmed the lit candle and immediately passed out underneath the sheets and pillows they were given. It wasn't the most comfortable sleeping arrangement, but figured it was much better than sleeping out in the open in the case that a rainstorm hit them. Plus, it was chilly outside and the tent did a decent job of keeping them warm. While Namine slept soundly to the soft sounds of nature, Xion's sleep didn't last very long as her gummiphone suddenly began to ring. She saw that Kairi was calling and tapped to answer.

"Kairi?" Xion whispered.

"Xion! I have an idea!" Kairi answered on the other line, also whispering.

"About what?"

"Hear me out, but why don't we arrange for Pocahontas and John to meet _in secret_?"

Xion froze for a moment before sighing. "Did you hit your head or something, Kairi? That is a _horrible _idea!"

"Xion, we don't have much of a choice. Pocahontas and John have a bond and now it's up to us to help them keep that strong bond."

"Why do we have to get involved? We're not love doctors! Besides, aren't we supposed to be looking for Ven, or...whoever that mysterious Keyblade wielder is anyway?"

Kairi smiled widely. "That's the beauty of my plan! The chief knows that I'm out looking for this Keyblade wielder and my seashell. So, we arrange for Pocahontas and John to meet in secret, we go about our business, and then if the chief asks me where Pocahontas is, I'll just tell him she's with me."

"Kairi, this is either the most devious or stupid plan you've come up with."

"Come on Xion." Kairi pleaded. "You weren't supposed to become friends with Axel and Roxas, and didn't Axel have your back in trying to maintain that between you three?" She asked. Xion froze as she thought back to when she first met the boys. She was so insecure and scared, but they pulled her out of her shell and they became the most important people to her ever since. "Xion, what if this situation was you and Roxas and Xemnas tried to keep you two apart? Wouldn't you try to meet in secret?"

Xion sighed in defeat. "Okay, you got me there…So, how do you suppose we execute this plan?"

"In the mornings, have John come with you when you come to meet up with me. Send him to the eastern side of the cornfield by the Powhatans' village when you get close and then let me take care of the rest." Kairi said confidently.

"Okay…"

"Trust me! I've got this! I helped Selphie get her first boyfriend last year! Leave it to me!" Kairi said before hanging up.

Xion hung up her phone before lying back down in hers and Namine's tent. In her heart, she knew Kairi was only trying to help, but something in her mind was telling her this was a bad idea. All she could do was hope that she was proven wrong.


	18. Tension Rising

**A/N: That moment when you have too many art projects to complete, but you still wanna get your fanfic chapter done, but it's a very long chapter...sigh...Anywho, enjoy! Lots happening here!**

Chapter 18: Tension Rising

The next few days were spent with a lot of Kairi trying to arrange Pocahontas and John to meet in secret while also continuing the search for her seashell. The latter of the two was starting to become more frustrating than anything. Considering how many nooks, burrows, and tiny little spaces were in the forest, Kairi was starting to run out of options and ideas of where her piece was located. The girls almost started to wonder if the scanner had glitched and led them to the wrong world. Launchpad did mention that it was a newer gadget. The Heartless appearing throughout the world and going after the village and camp weren't making their lives easier.

This one particular day, everyone decided to take a break on their quest. All three girls were exhausted. Not to mention, Powhatan was requesting Kairi to be more present and closer to the village because of everything that went down at the digging site and his concern for Pocahontas' safety. Xion and Namine on the other hand decided that they'd accompany John Smith to the Powhatan village to help him meet up with Pocahontas and then they'd just hang around with Kairi and relax for the rest of the day.

Too bad life had other plans for them

Back at the settlers' camp, the frustration was all around. The men had been digging holes in the forest for days now and haven't found any gold. Naturally, Xion and Namine were the ones to hear about it because they were the easiest ones to vent to. Ratcliffe, on the other hand, continued on the easy route of having everyone do his own dirty work for him. That didn't ease his frustration though. It more or less increased his hostility towards the settlers, having the wrong belief that the men weren't working hard enough. He had even used his new power given to him by Aros to send some Heartless into the forest, but not being the sharpest tool in the shed, meant the Heartless weren't much help for him.

"It's been days and we haven't dug up so much as a speck of gold! What am I overlooking?" Ratcliffe vented.

Aros appeared from a dark portal. "You really don't know what you're doing, do you?"

"You gave me this power, but what good does it do when I haven't found what I've been looking for?"

"Amateurs…" The Keyblade wielder sighed and shook his head. From behind his back, he threw a filled pouch towards Ratcliffe. "Here, maybe _this _will motivate you a little."

Ratcliffe reached down and picked up the couch. He reached into it and gasped at the feeling of rough material against his hands. From out of the pouch, he pulled out small clumps of pure gold. His eyes widened and his lips curled into a cheshire cat-like smile.

"Yes…" Ratcliffe hissed before looking back up at Aros. "Young man, where did you find this?"

Aros shrugged his shoulders and waved off his hand. "Hey, hey, does a magician reveal his secrets? Sorry, that's for you to figure out on your own. But...I guess I can give you a hint…" He leaned against the post holding up Ratcliffe's tent with his arms folded. "Ratty, why do you think the indians attacked your men?"

Ratcliffe softly gasped, his jaw hanging slightly open. "Of course! The indians! The gold! They have it!"

"Very good, you're gettin' it!" Aros applauded. "And just what do you plan to do about it?"

"Well, looks like I'll have to take it by force, won't I?"

"And _how _are you gonna go about that?"

Ratcliffe formed a snakey smile on his face as he walked out of his tent. "I have a plan, but I'm gonna need some help with it."

Aros watched Ratcliffe walk out and groaned, slumping over. "Of course, I'm stuck with a moron for my first ally…" He walked outside and disappeared behind the tent. Now out of sight, Aros held up his arm and summoned a larger Heartless that resembled a horned snake with wings. "Go, find Kairi, and bring her to me." He ordered the serpentine creature. It hissed and nodded its head before beginning to slither its way into the woods.

Ratcliffe, on the other hand, had a plan, and he knew the perfect ones to help execute that plan. He stormed over to the small tent where Xion and Namine were soundly asleep and brashly threw the front flaps open, causing harsh sunlight to cast upon their faces.

"LADIES!" Ratcliffe shouted, causing Xion and Namine to scramble about and wake up.

"Do you mind having the decency to warn us about you barging in? We could've been getting dressed for all you know." Xion snarkily asked as she rubbed her eyes.

Namine yawned. "What's going on?"

"Where the devil is Smith?"

"Smith? I...uh.." Xion stammered. "Namine?"

"He's gone?"

"Figures…" Racliffe muttered. "Alright, get going and fetch him for me, this instant." He ordered.

"Now?" Both girls asked.

"For heaven's sake, get moving!" He yelled before storming away.

As they watched Ratcliffe disappear out of sight, Xion reached over and checked her gummiphone, which read 10:30am.

"No! Namine we slept in!" She groaned and began scrambling to put the rest of her clothes on.

"How'd that happen? I thought we were used to waking up early." Namine asked as she started pulling her hair into a ponytail.

"We must be exhausted. We've been going nonstop for almost two weeks now with this journey with Kairi. I can only imagine how exhausted Sora was from all of his journeys."

Namine nodded as she began slipping her boots on. "Yep, same with Riku." She peered out the tent's opening, getting a good glimpse of the bright sunlight. "I hope Kairi has everything under control. We were supposed to leave a couple hours ago."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

On the other side, back near the village, the morning was rather quiet. There was also an inkling of stress circulating through Kairi as she realized that Xion, Namine, and John still hadn't made it to the cornfield, where they were supposed to join up so Pocahontas and John could have some bonding time alone. That morning, Pocahontas and Nakoma ventured out to the fields to gather freshly grown corn. Kairi chose to go along and help them out. It would allow her to keep out for Namine's signal, which was supposed to be a burst of water shooting into the sky, and it would allow her to come not as suspicious to anybody suspecting of what the two girls were up to, like Kocoum and Nakoma.

Kairi followed Pocahontas threw the field and carried a hand woven basket. She grabbed a few cobs of corn and gently placed them into the basket. It looked so fresh and was making her hungry if she could be honest. Right about now, sitting at a campfire and roasting it sounded like an appetizing idea, but now wasn't the time to slack off and eat. Kairi looked over at Pocahontas, who appeared to be dazed and out of it, while also scanning her eyes around the area. When another minute of no signal went by, Pocahontas held her head low and allowed a sigh to escape her.

"Don't worry, they'll be here." Kairi quietly assured her as her eyes constantly scanned the field for the signal. _I hope they make it here._ She anxiously thought in her head. Pocahontas smiled and nodded as she reached for a higher cob of corn and placed it in Kairi's basket.

Nakoma walked closer to the two girls with her loaded basket. "How are we doing over here?" She asked.

"We're making progress." Kairi said as she bounced off the balls of her feet. "I'm a little short so Pocahontas is grabbing the higher ones for me." She laughed sheepishly.

"Pocahontas!" All three girls turned their heads at the sound of Powhatan's voice as he entered the cornfield. "You should be inside the village where it's safe."

"We'll be alright." Pocahontas said with slight confidence.

Nakoma nodded. "We're gathering food for the warriors."

"Kairi's been a big help."

Kairi laughed softly as her eyes darted around the field. "It's no big deal." _Come on guys...where are you?_

Powhatan locked firm but fearful eyes with each girl. "Don't go far, this isn't the time to go running off."

"Of course, Father." Pocahontas nodded out of respect.

A warm smile formed on his face as he placed a hand on his daughter's shoulder. "All I can ever ask is for your safety. You are the daughter of the chief and someday, our people will look to for wisdom and strength." Powhatan looked over at Kairi with the same warm glimmer. "Kairi, I appreciate you protecting my daughter in this time of need."

Kairi bowed her head. "It's the least I can do, Chief." A sharp pit forming in her stomach. _I am scum..._She thought in her head.

"I'll send for Kocoum, you shouldn't out here alone." Powhatan said as he began travelling back towards the village.

_Great..._Kairi thought as she shut her eyes and sighed, Pocahontas doing the same thing.

Nakoma set her basket down and put her hands on her hips, staring at the girls with narrow eyes. "Okay, you two are up to something. What's going on?" 

"What?" Both of them asked at the same time.

"We're not hiding anything." Pocahontas sheepishly said as she shrugged her shoulders.

"Pocahontas, just tell me what's going on." Nakoma pleaded. "I promise, I won't tell-" Her plea was cut off by the worst possible timing as John Smith appeared from deeper in the cornfield as if he were searching for something, or someone. "Girls! Look!" She gasped. Kairi and Pocahontas looked behind them, both sets of eyes nearly bulging out. "It's one of them! I'm going to get-"

"What are you doing here?" Pocahontas asked as she covered Nakoma's mouth cutting her off.

"I had to see you again." John answered softly.

Kairi groaned. "You were supposed to give the signal! Where are Namine and Xion?"

"They didn't come this morning."

"WHAT?" Both girls asked in unison.

"Where are they?" Kairi asked, panic rising.

John shrugged his shoulders. "They might have slept late. I just waited for them right outside the camp and they never showed up, so I left on my own accord."

"This is great…"

As if the morning couldn't get any worse, it did. The ear-splitting sound of a small child screaming echoed all the way out. Kairi and Pocahontas both looked toward the direction of where the screaming was coming from. Kairi saw the same large Heartless that Aros summoned that morning. Pocahontas and Nakoma both gasped and stepped back.

"What's happening?" Nakoma asked, her voice raised.

"There's a Heartless. It must be going after a child." Kairi looked back at them as she summoned her Keyblade. "You guys get someplace safe while I take care of it." She quickly ordered before running off.

Kairi ran through the cornfield until she came across a more open area where a little girl was surrounded by the Heartless. She gasped as she saw how the Heartless was acting with the girl. It slithered around and slowly wrapped its body around the little girl like a sadistic python wishing to slowly crush its prey to death. The little girl trembled and whimpered as the Heartless held a hypnotic glare with her. Not even bothering to figure out its data like normal, she sprinted over and swung her Keyblade right against the Heartless' face, causing it to collapse in place and releasing whatever grip it had on the little girl.

"Let her go!" Kairi yelled. She knelt down and got on eye level with her. "Are you okay?"

The little girl wiped her tears and nodded. "Yeah, it was scary."

"Well, I won't let it hurt you anymore, okay?" She said with a warm smile. "Let's get you home." Kairi's head popped up as she saw the Heartless resume its offensive position, ready to attack her and the little one. "Hurry! Hop on my back!"

The little girl hopped onto Kairi's back and rode piggyback as the redhead gripped her Keyblade tightly, ready to fight the creature that chose to mess with the wrong wielder. Kairi gritted her teeth and grunted as she clenched her hand around her Keyblade. She watched as the Heartless lifted its head and lunged towards her. Determined to protect the whimpering child, Kairi side-stepped, dodging the Heartless attack. Fighting this creature turned out to be a lot more difficult than she imagined. She couldn't perform her usual parkour to defend herself and she didn't want to leave the child alone.

Decided the only way to fight off the Heartless is to fight it head on, Kairi lunged forward and began swinging her Keyblade like a sword. She managed to land a good attack on the Heartless' face, only for it to begin snapping right back at her. It also didn't help that its deadly glare was making Kairi feel lightheaded. She aggressively shook hit off and avoided eye contact with the serpent. The child screamed as she saw the tip of the tail work its way towards her, almost like it was trying to grab her. Kairi whirled around and swung her Keyblade, slicing at the tail and apparently causing critical damage.

By critical damage, Kairi essentially sliced off the tip of the tail. The Heartless grunted and hissed as it flailed its tail all over the place. The way it was distracting itself from attacking Kairi and the child, Kairi could've easily finished it off, but chose not to and decided to let its misery linger for a while. The Heartless dematerialized, fleeing the battle and returning to Aros. Though Kairi had no idea about the fate of the creature or where it was choosing to flee to, she made a mental note in her head to keep an eye out for it in case it decided to try and attack the village. For now, Kairi's prime concern was making sure the child was safe. She set the little girl down and allowed the two of them to catch their breath.

"Thank you for saving me!" The little girl laughed as she held out some flowers to Kairi. "These are for you!"

Kairi softly gasped as a warm feeling erupted inside her heart. _There's something about this...that's so...familiar. _She thought. A warm smile formed on her face as she took the flowers and held them close. "Thank you, you're so sweet."

"Soka!" Kairi and the little one looked over and saw an even smaller girl running towards them. It was the same little girl that Kairi traded bracelets with the first night she stayed in the village. "Sister! Are you hurt?" She asked as she ran into the bigger girl's arms.

"No, Alawa. I am okay. Kairi saved me!" Soka smiled widely.

Alawa gasped and smiled widely. "Kairi is a pretty hero!"

Kairi laughed and shook her head. "I'm no hero. I'm just someone who is happy to help." Her jaw hung slightly open as she felt an even warmer feeling erupt inside her heart and sent a tingling feeling into her stomach. _There's something about these girls. I can sense light in their hearts, and their bond._

"Alawa! Soka!" The girls' mother called from not a far distance. "Let's go, daughters!"

"Yes, mother!" Alawa and Soka both called back.

"Oh! Girls, before you go," Kairi took her index and middle fingers from both hands and placed each of them on the shells on the end of each girl's necklace. "I'm going to cast a light spell on each of you. If either of you are ever in trouble, the light within each of your hearts will lead you back to each other, no matter how far apart you are." Each girl's set of brown eyes gazed up at Kairi's with bright sparkles in their eyes, as if they saw an angel descend from heaven before their eyes. Kairi took the girls hands and locked them together. "I can sense that you two have a very strong bond, and it's very important that you two take care of each other and keep each other safe, okay?"

"Okay!" Soka giggled. Alawa also nodded.

"Because the one who you share your strongest light with, will always be the one to guide you out of the deepest darkness. Don't ever forget that."

"We won't!" Both girls promised in unison. "Thank you!"

Kairi smiled and watched the little girls run off to their mother with wide grins on their faces. She placed a hand over her beating heart and closed her eyes. "Is that right, Sora?"

**For most of this journey, I was so confused by what The Oracle had meant about finding the strength that you saw within me. I didn't know it at the time, but my interaction with Soka and Alawa that day was only the first step in discovering it.**

"Mother! Kairi saved me!" Soka praised as she followed her mother.

"Oh, did she now?"

"Yeah…" She placed a hand over her heart and sighed. "Mother, I wanna be just like her when I grow up."

Soka and Alawa's mother looked at her older daughter with amusement. "You do?"

"Yeah. When I get big, I wanna be brave, strong, and a hero, just like her."

Alawa giggled. "And she's pretty."

"Well, my girls, that's quite a dream, but it just might happen one day."

Just as Kairi got lost in watching the girls walk off with their mother, Kocoum entered the cornfield, his head jerking in different directions. He had caught sight of the Heartless from near the village and decided to look further into it despite Kairi's constant warnings that they were too dangerous for him to fight. Kocoum caught sight of Kairi staring off in the distance in a trance until he jogged over to her, calling her name to snap her out of it.

"Kairi, where's Pocahontas?" He asked firmly.

Kairi gasped at his question. She had completely forgotten about her for a second. "Uh...I think...she might've gotten scared off by the Heartless. I'll go find her immediately!"

"You can't keep letting Pocahontas run off like that. It's dangerous right now, you know this."

"Yes, I'm sorry. I'm on my way!" Kairi apologized frantically before running deeper into the cornfield.

Now back in the woods, Kairi had figure out where Pocahontas and John could've possibly run off too. She was hoping they would've stayed at least a little close. Although with Nakoma discovering John, maybe it was for the best that he stayed as far away from the village as possible. Kairi breathed heavily and jerked her head around in many directions, hoping to at least hear traces of their voices. Even with how quiet the forest was, she couldn't hear anything other than occasional bird calls.

Kairi just so happened to notice the wind picking up behind her. She looked back and saw a group of leaves floating along and leading her in a specific direction. Pulling up the compass on her gummiwatch, Kairi too note of the direction the wind was taking her, which was south. She recognized where it was pointing it to. In fact, she was surprised that she didn't think of this sooner.

Just as before, Kairi followed the wind and the current of the river down to Grandmother Willow's grotto. She took a different path this time, but still managed to find it just fine. As she pushed her way through the chilled damp vines, traces of voices echoed from deep within. Kairi leaned in, making sure it was safe before she proceeded any further. The voices belonged to a man and woman and were recognizable. Kairi sighed with relief before briskly walking deeper into the grotto, following the voices up until she caught sight of Grandmother's Willow's tree.

"Pocahontas! You out there!" Kairi called out.

Pocahontas appeared from around Grandmother Willow. "We're here, Kairi!"

"Glad I found you two! You're not supposed to be all the way out here."

John scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, when that creature attacked, we thought it'd be better to get to someplace safe." 

Kairi laughed softly before looking up at Grandmother Willow. "So, did John freak out over meeting you too?"

"I swear, it's like some of you have never talked to a tree before." Grandmother Willow sighed and shook her head.

"I've talked to trees, they've just never talked back to me." Kairi shrugged her shoulders. "Well, before you did. Have you been drilling him Grandmother Willow?"

Grandmother Willow chuckled. "There's no need to. He has a good soul, and he's handsome too."

Kairi giggled and nodded. "I'll agree with you on that!"

"Oh, I like both of them." John said with flattery in his voice.

"I knew you would." Pocahontas smiled warmly at everyone around her, with their blissful moment being interrupted by Grandmother Willow grunting and her face scrunching up.

"Heartless?" Kairi asked, summoning her Keyblade.

Grandmother Willow shook her head. "No, I can feel it in my vines. Humans are approaching."

"We can't let them see us. They could be from the camp." John whispered as he crept behind the large tree trunk.

"All of you quick, over here." Grandmother Willow whispered as the three of them hid behind her.

Being the smallest of the bunch, Kairi helped push Pocahontas and John around the tree and then squeezed her away around too. She gripped her Keyblade tightly in case the person approaching attempted to harm either one of them. Unbeknownst to them, it was only Xion and Namine. It's just too bad that nobody could tell it was them and their voices were to low and soft to be heard from a distance.

"Xion, are you sure this is the right place?" Namine asked, her eyes scanning the area.

Xion sighed. "Yes. Kairi told us before to follow the river's course to get to the grotto. I followed the river for miles-"

"-Don't you mean 'niles'? Like the Nile River?" Namine cut her off, laughing sheepishly. Xion was not impressed. "Come on, I try to make _one _joke and you can't appreciate it."

"Look, now's not the time to make jokes. Kairi could be anywhere here in these woods. Ugh...I hate behind lost…"

As they approached closer to Grandmother Willow's tree trunk, she lifted up her roots, causing the two girls to go tumbling down to the ground.

"Ow! That hurt!" Namine moaned.

"Watch your feet, Namine!" Xion yelled.

"I didn't do it! It was the tree!"

Xion rolled her eyes and laughed. "Oh, yeah right! The tree's just gonna lift its roots and-" Her words were cut off as soon as she caught sight of Grandmother Willow's roots lowering. "Uh…Namine...I think we better…"

"Girls!" Kairi's voice called out from around the tree trunk as soon as she recognized their voices. Xion and Namine looked up and saw their friend waving them over. "Come on over! Sorry we didn't realize it was you."

Namine laughed sheepishly as she stood up and brushed the dirt off her knees. "It's okay, no big deal!"

"Tell that to my bruised knees…" Xion scoffed. She followed Namine over to the tree stump. "So, what are you two crazy kids doing?"

Kairi smirked and hid her arms behind her back. "That's just what I was coming to find out."

"I was just bringing John to meet Grandmother Willow." Pocahontas answered as she rested a hand on his shoulder.

"I haven't had this much excitement in two hundred years!" Grandmother Willow jested.

"I still can't get over this tree is talking to us." Xion shook her head before flashing a grin and throwing her hands behind her head. "She's got personality though, that's for sure."

Namine laughed and nodded. "Well on a more important note, John, we were actually sent to look for you by 'the rat'."

John sighed before shaking his head. "I guess I better get going before they send the whole camp after me."

"When will I see you again?" Pocahontas asked, lightly gripping his arm.

"Meet me tonight, right here." He answered, brushing her cheek with his hand, all three girls smirking in the background. "You coming, girls?" John asked Xion and Namine as he climbed down the tree stump.

Xion nodded. "We're coming. We'll catch up with you later, Kairi?"

"Yep, same spot, okay?" She turned towards Pocahontas and Grandmother Willow. "Grandmother Willow, we'll be back later. Pocahontas' father is worried, I'm sure, so we'd better head back to the village."

As the sun shone at its highest point in the day, numerous amounts of canoes carrying indian warriors approached the edge of the beach where the Powhatan village was. As they came closer into view, members of the tribe all started to gather, including the chief himself. Kairi and Pocahontas had also arrived back to the village in time to witness the arrival of these warriors. Pocahontas recognized them that they were brothers from an allied tribe. Kairi's eyes darted all across the coast, taking in the amount of warriors that were disembarking. It almost seemed like the Powhatan's count had doubled at least.

It wasn't so much that there was a new tribe arriving that concerned Kairi. What got her blood pumping hard was their reason for being here. She knew exactly what was happening. The Powhatans were preparing to attack the settlers. While it was true she didn't agree with what they did with the land and how they treated the Powhatans, she also didn't think that planning a mass genocide to kill them all off was the answer either. Yet at this point, Kairi started to doubt whether there was a better option to fixing the feud.

"This is bad…" Kairi muttered. "There's so many of them."

Powhatan turned to face the rest of his tribe as he stood firmly with the chief of their ally. "Now that we have joined with our brothers, we will defeat this enemy."

As she watched her father turn to walk off, Pocahontas ran after him. Kairi wanted to follow her, but stayed behind feeling like it was better to just leave the two alone. She took a seat on a boulder and patiently waited.

"Father, I need to speak with you." Pocahontas requested as she grabbed Powhatan by the arm.

"Not now, my daughter. The counsel is gathering."

"We don't have to fight them! There must be another way. Maybe we should try talking to them."

Powhatan sighed heavily and shook his head. "I'm sorry, my daughter, but life is not that simple. Sometimes our paths are chosen for us." He stroked his daughter's cheek before turning. "Now, the counsel is gathering. Please, just stay safe here in the village."

Kairi fiddled with a twig and dug the bottom of her feet further into the ground as she waited for Pocahontas to come back. She looked up as she caught sight of her shadow getting closer. The disappointed look on her face was not a good sign. Kairi lowered her eyebrows as she watched Pocahontas take a seat next to her.

"He won't listen to me." Pocahontas said in a low tone.

Kairi exhaled heavily and rested a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, Pocahontas. I feel like I only made everything worse."

"It wasn't your fault. You were only trying to help. I just don't want anyone getting hurt."

"Nobody does. But...keep your chin up. I'll figure something out."

Kairi watched as members of the tribe dispersed throughout, either interacting with the warriors, or returning to their home. She noticed something was different. They weren't the lively folk they were just a few days prior when she arrived. Now, it was almost as if all that was one their mind was the upcoming battle. It broke her heart, having already experienced a war and knowing how it affects people. Everyone seemed so scared and anxious about what would happen. For the first time since arriving, Kairi felt worthless, like she couldn't do anything to stop this.

This couldn't have been the end for her. The Powhatans put so much of their faith and trust in her. She couldn't just sit to the side and let this battle happen. Kairi sighed heavily and buried her face in her hands, a throbbing headache beating against the top of her head. It wasn't until she saw a branch blow over towards her feet that she thought of an idea. Maybe she didn't know what to do, but surely _someone else_ did. Kairi picked up the branch and hurried out of the village, not even telling Pocahontas or anyone where she was going. She had to figure this out for herself first.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Following their parting ways with Pocahontas, Xion and Namine followed John as the three of them began their long hike back to the camp. Meeko, who had been hanging around with Pocahontas and John earlier, decided to tag along too. The girls found it amusing that the raccoon chose to hang around with them more, but in his defense, animals were known to get curious. Namine giggled as Meeko perched on her shoulder and began petting him on the head. Just as he felt like he was getting comfortable, the raccoon's head jerked up and in a different direction at the sound of the twigs being crushed underneath tiny footsteps.

Namine followed Meeko's movement as he jumped off her shoulder and began creeping towards a tree. Xion also took a look in the case it was a Heartless. It wasn't a Heartless, but rather a small pug, and specifically, Ratcliffe's dog. He was slowly dragging his paws along the ground, scanning the area until he caught sight of Meeko. His ears perked up before he ran forward, barking nonstop at the poor critter. Meeko began scurrying underneath Namine's legs with the dog trailing not far behind him.

"Whoa! Percy!" John called to the dog. "Down dog! Down! Bad dog!" He scolded the pug.

Namine laughed sheepishly as she watched the chase. "I'm guessing he doesn't like raccoons."

"Whoa! Hold it!" Xion yelled as she held up her hands while Meeko hopped onto her shoulders. "Easy boy! Easy boy! Easy…" She lowered her voice to where it was soft and soothing. Percy seemed to calm down as he stared up into Xion's firm eyes. "Now, sit down, boy." She ordered, pointing a finger down. Percy ignored her at first. "Sit…" He finally listened and lowered his hind legs until his butt was on the ground.

"Wow, look at you, Xion." John said with amusement.

"Good boy!" Xion praised in a high pitch voice as she knelt down and began scratching Percy on the sides. He smiled widely and began wagging his tail. "Aww, look who's a good boy, Percy! Who's a good boy?" Percy barked cheerfully. "That's right, you are!" She cooed. Meeko peeked out from behind Xion's head, causing Percy to growl. "Hey, listen, you two. We're kind of busy right now, so...I kinda need both of you to get along and be friends, okay?"

Percy and Meeko stared each other down before both of them turned their faces away. Percy stuck his nose up in the air like a show off while Meeko folded his arms.

"Come on, you two, please!" Namine asked, folding her hands together.

Xion sighed, smiling mischievously. "You know, my friend, Kairi, she has cookies." Meeko's ear popped up at 'cookie' and Percy's nose twitched. "If you guys get along, I'll make sure to get you guys each one, deal?"

Meeko sighed before he finally unfolded his arms and stared Percy down with narrow eyes and and a scrunched up nose. He held up a paw to the dog, who stubbornly kept his head turned in the other direction. His eyes darted between Meeko and his paws before also heaving a sigh in defeat. Percy held his paw out, allowing the raccoon to shake with him.

Although the two were essentially finally setting aside their differences, it didn't last much longer. All five of them heard the sound of a voice belonging to a young man. John stepped in front of the girls, holding an arm out as if he were naturally trying to protect them from whoever this person may be. Despite that, Xion and Namine stuck close as the three of them carefully stepped closer towards the voice. He was yelling, albeit inaudibly, it was coming from off path in a more hidden spot. Meeko hopped onto John's shoulder while Percy remained hidden behind his legs.

From around a group of trees, the trio peeked around the corner and noticed it was none other than Aros. Before him was the large serpent Heartless that had attacked Kairi at the Powhatan village earlier. Xion and Namine exchanged uneasy looks when they noticed Aros was not just staring down the Heartless, but _talking _to it, specifically reprimanding it.

"That thing attacked the village this morning when I first arrived there." John whispered.

Namine softly gasped. "So, is this guy _with _the Heartless? Xion, is he maybe the hooded figure we saw in Agrabah?"

Xion shook her head. "He can't be. Kairi told us the hooded figure had a female's voice, but either way, we have a _big _lead and we'll wanna let Riku know as soon as we have a chance."

"You _do _realize what your failure means, right?" Aros asked the Heartless in a firm tone. The Heartless shook its head. Laughing in a cocky manner, Aros held out a hand and summoned his Keyblade. The Heartless' eyes bulged out a slithered back slightly, shaking its head. "Oh, whaaaaaat?" He looked down at his Keyblade. "You thought I was gonna use this on _you_? Man, the master was right. Heartless really are clueless and stupid. No! I'm just gonna have simply go get the girl myself."

"The girl? He's the Keyblade wielder the shaman had a vision of." Namine whispered, her eyebrows furrowing.

Aros sighed dramatically. "I don't know why I didn't think of this myself. I mean sure, she's a fighter and all, but let's be real, when compared to me and...heck, even her friends, Kairi has nothing on me."

"Kairi!" Xion and Namine both accidentally yelled too loud. They both covered their mouths when John shushed them.

"Who's there?" Aros turned his body around and pointed his Keyblade in their direction. Before either of them had a chance to hide, the trio was spotted and a white snicker formed on Aros' face. "Well, looks like I have a couple of _fan girls _following me. Sorry ladies, no autographs."

Xion gritted her teeth and summoned her Keyblade. "We don't want any of that! We heard everything and we know what you're up to!"

"You'll have to go through us before you can even get close to Kairi!" Namine taunted as she summoned her own weapon.

"Oooh, a challenge. I like the sound of that." Aros chuckled. "Too bad it'll be too easy." Without warning, he shot a Dark Firaga towards the girls. Xion grabbed Namine and jumped out of the way, the two of them landing on the ground. Taking advantage of the dust and smoke the spell stirred up, Aros formed a dark portal, allowing him to escape without a scratch.

John hurried over to the girls and helped them up from the ground. "You two okay?"

"Yeah…" Xion nodded as she got up from the ground, grunting. She looked in the direction of where Aros was curled her hand into a fist. "He got away…"

Namine pulled out her phone and placed a hand on Xion's shoulder. "We have to warn Kairi."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"Grandmother Willow! Grandmother Willow!" Kairi cried as she ran into the grotto and up one of the tree's roots. "I need to talk to you!"

Grandmother Willow's face appeared, distressed. "Child, what is happening? I feel the earth trembling with fear!"

"The warriors have arrived and they're preparing for war!" As Kairi shared her distressing news with Grandmother Willow, her gummiphone started ringing. She saw that Namine was calling and answered. "Namine! What's going on?"

"Kairi, we saw the Keyblade wielder that you were warned about."

"What?"

"He's the one responsible for the Heartless! We tried to make a jump on him, but he disappeared behind a dark portal." Namine explained.

"A dark portal...that doesn't sound like Ven at all. Great…" Kairi groaned.

"Kairi, you need to be careful! He said something about 'taking care of you himself'." Xion warned.

Kairi softly gasped as she hung up the phone at the feeling of her heart dropping into her stomach. "First, the war, and now this…Grandmother Willow, please, tell me what I need to do."

"Child-"

"I'm tired of not getting answers! Please, Grandmother Willow!" 

Grandmother Willow frowned. "Kairi, I could give you the answers just as easily as man can feed raw meat to a wolf." She softened her expression in response to Kairi's distressed and lowered face. "Live by this lesson. A man can feed a wolf meat all he wants, and it'll cure him of his hunger in that moment. But if the wolf doesn't work for his prey, he'll never learn how to survive and protect his pack."

Kairi sighed as she turned her face away. "Grandmother Willow, I don't have time for riddles…"

"Child, this is not a riddle, it's a _lesson_ that young ones learn in this world. I could give you all the answers, but it won't help you in the long run. Now listen," She lowered one of her vines towards the water. "There's something I want to show you." She dipped the vine into the water, causing ripples to form upon contact.

"Ripples?"

"See? They're so small at first, and then look how they grow, but someone has to start them." Grandmother Willow advised with a smile.

Kairi shook her head, turning away. "They won't listen to me."

"Child, sometimes the right path is not always the easiest one." She lowered her vine and tilted Kairi's face up. "Don't you see? A tap in a pond may create small ripples, but it takes a stone to take those ripples to great lengths."

Kairi stepped close to the pond, taking both her friends' and Grandmother Willow's encouraging words to heart. She looked in and saw the reflection of a very confused and conflicted teenager. The reflection followed her facial expression as her eyebrows furrowed at the negative reaction she had towards what she saw in the pond. This was the face of a girl Kairi was ashamed to look at. It was the reflection of a girl who felt like all she was good for was making other people's problems worse.

The wind suddenly picked up, colorful leaves floating with it and swirled around Kairi. She had grown accustomed to the wind guiding her, and so far, it hasn't been wrong. Whose to doubt it now? Her eyes followed the wind towards a rock that sat right beside Kairi's foot. Raising an eyebrow, she picked up the rock and fiddled with it in her fingers before gripping it tightly in her fist. Studying the pond carefully, Kairi lifted the rock up high above her head, Grandmother Willow watching her actions. After taking a deep breath, Kairi threw the rock into the pond, causing it to skip multiple times across. Each skip splashed against the water, starting groups of large ripples.

All of the ripples suddenly elicited an involuntary gasp from Kairi. She suddenly understood what Grandmother Willow was saying. Kairi couldn't approach this gently. If she wanted to stop this war, she was going to have to fight for peace between the two sides. Kairi summoned her Keyblade as she looked into the new reflection that formed in the pond. It was now a stern-looking young woman, armed with her strongest weapon, and ready to fight for what was right. Noticing a Heartless popping up behind her, Kairi aggressively whirled around and destroyed the creature in one powerful slash. She stayed in her finished position for a moment as she caught her breath from a warrior's spirit burning inside of her.

Kairi stood up, taking a deep breath. "I know what I need to do."

Grandmother Willow smiled proudly. "Listen to your heart, child! Follow it!"

"I will! I know what to do!"

After sharing a confident smile and nod with Grandmother Willow, Kairi ran back to the village. It was now way more crowded than it once was just that morning. Not to mention, everybody was at unease with all of the talk over the upcoming battle. Men were examining each other's weapons. It almost sent an unsettling pain to Kairi's stomach, especially with how the sun was already setting. She hurried across the village grounds and over towards Powhatan's house, where he was conversing with Kocoum, most likely on battle strategies.

"Chief, I need to speak with you." Kairi requested.

Powhatan shook his head. "What is this about?"

"Hear me out." She pleaded. "War is not the answer here, but I know what _is._"

Kocoum stepped forward and stood by the chief. "Desperation will get you nowhere, outsider. You don't belong here. Personal matters between our people are none of your concern."

"You don't understand, Kocoum!"

"I understand. I understand that this whole time, you have been loyal to the white men, haven't you?"

Kairi gasped loudly, shaking her head. "No! It's not like that at all! I just don't want anyone to get hurt! I promise!"

"Powhatan, it's no wonder she has been trying to know everything that goes on here in this village." Kocoum accused her with a stern look on his face. "She brought more of _her kind_ to the village and everything got worse."

"Chief, please! Just give me a chance and hear me out!" Kairi softly pleaded, her throat growing dry from Kocoum's harsh accusation. "I know how to make this right! I know who's responsible for the Heartless!"

Powhatan sighed heavily. "Kairi…" 

"Please, I need you to trust me! Just give me a chance!"

After exchanging an unsure look with Kocoum, the chief finally nodded. "What do you have to say?"

"We found the stranger with the key that Kekata saw in his vision. He's the one that's spawning the Heartless here. If I get rid of him, then this land will be safe. If I can get rid of that stranger, please call off the war."

"That does not solve the problem that those men invaded our land." Powhatan mentioned firmly.

"I know, but-"

"Kairi, that's enough!" The chief cut her off and raised his voice. "Leave personal matters between me and my people."

Kairi sighed and slowly bowed her head, a lump forming in her throat. "Yes sir…"

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

The sun had started setting by the time Kairi had begun trying to negotiate with the chief. In the meantime, Xion and Namine had been trying to track down Aros in the forest, hoping they could at least try to stop him before he hurt Kairi. Unfortunately, luck wasn't on their side. Aros seemed to have disappeared completely and left no trace of his location. The only signs of his presence were the Heartless that appeared every now and then, which wasn't anything new from what they were dealing with earlier in the day.

As the harsh rays shone in John's eyes, he looked towards the girls, who finally chose to sit down on a log and take a break. He finally suggested that the trio call it a day and headed back into camp. They had been searching all afternoon in the forest and all three of them were starting to approach exhaustion. Poor Namine was starting to get blisters on her feet while Xion's legs were starting to be sore from the miles of hiking they had been doing for days on end. They weren't just tired from the day, they were tired from the whole journey.

John and the girls approached the camp and saw business was going on as usual. Settlers were guarding, cleaning rifles, and resting up from the long day's work. What could've been a warm welcome was instead a harsh confrontation from Ratcliffe as he stormed out of his tent and began to approach the trio.

"Smith! Where have you been?" Ratcliffe asked loudly.

"We were out scouting the terrain, sir."

"Excellent! Then you should know the indians' location. We'll need that information for the battle."

Xion furrowed her eyebrows and stepped forward. "What battle?"

"We will eliminate these savages, once and for all!"

"No!" All three of them retaliated at once.

Ratcliffe scowled at the trio and folded his arms. "Is there a problem, Smith?"

"We don't have a problem, but we don't have to fight them." John explained, trying to reason with the men that surrounded him. "They're not savages, they can help. They know the land and how to navigate the rivers."

"John, what's gotten into you? How do you know all this?" Thomas asked as he approached the group.

Namine pulled out a cob of corn and held it out. "We befriended one. She gave us food, you see?"

Ratcliffe growled and yanked the corn from Namine's hand. "They don't want to feed us, you idiots! They want to kill us! All of us! They've got our gold and will-"

"But there is no gold!" John yelled, cutting off Ratcliffe's rant.

"No gold, you say?" Ratcliffe sneered as he tilted an eyebrow up. "And I suppose your little indian friend told you this?" John, Xion, and Namine all stared him down with narrowed eyes, refusing to answer. "Then how do you explain _this_?" He asked as he threw the pouch of gold at John.

"That's impossible…" John furrowed his eyebrows as he looked through the pouch. "She said that…"

"Lies! Lies! All of it! Murderous thieves, there's no room for their kind in civilized society!"

"The gold doesn't matter, this is their land!" John yelled back.

"This is my land! I make the laws around here, and I say anyone who interacts with a savage will be tried with treason and _hanged_." Ratcliffe threatened with his face dangerously close to John's.

John rushed past Ratcliffe and disappeared into his tent, leaving the greedy governor to snicker in all of his glory. Xion and Namine simply returned to their tent as well, knowing that John was angry and most likely didn't want to be disturbed at the moment. While hiding in their tent, the girls could hear traces of the settlers debating amongst each other whether there really was gold and Ratcliffe was right or if the gold was a trick and John was being truthful. Regardless, they knew that all three of them were now under Ratcliffe's radar and he was truly somebody not to mess around with if he was threatening a death penalty for "betrayal". Not that Xion and Namine technically would've fallen under that since they don't belong to London anyway, but they kept their guard up.

That night, as the skies darkened, John left his tent to come join Xion and Namine in theirs. Meeko and Percy also managed to tag along with the trio as well. Xion found it amusing that even Ratcliffe's own dog was sick of him. The three of them sat around the candle in dead silence. Even Meeko wasn't being a chatterbox like he normally was. It was almost as if each of them felt that if they concentrated hard enough, they could figure out a solution. Neither of them wanted to betray John's men, but at this point, Pocahontas and her people were in danger and had no idea they were planning to fight back. As her friends, Xion and Namine were especially desperate to try and stop this fight.

"Guys...I think we've run out of options here." Namine broke the silence.

Xion twiddled with the lace on her hoodie. "Is it too late to mention we found out who's responsible for the Heartless?"

John shook his head. "Don't bother. Ratcliffe won't listen to us. I should've known better. He's like this back home at London."

Namine sighed, running her hand along her arm. "Poor Pocahontas. I hope her people are at least strong enough to fight back."

"It's not even that. So many innocent lives on both sides are at stake." Xion muttered.

"Well, I know someone who _will _listen to us." John said as he stood up. "I don't know about you ladies, but I promised to meet Pocahontas over at the grotto tonight. I'm not sure if her people are planning to fight back or not, but I can at least warn her. I'm sure her people can evacuate their village temporarily until we leave this place."

The girls both stood up with him. "We'll go with you." Xion said with a firm look on her face.

Namine nodded. "Kairi needs to know as well. She'll know what to do."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

While John, Xion, and Namine began to sneak out of the camp and back over to Grandmother Willow's grotto, Kairi was planning to sneak out of the village to try and track down the Keyblade wielder that the girls mentioned to her on the phone. While she was not one to deny authority figures, this time, Kairi had to disobey orders. She had to prove a point. She had to prove to them that the white men were not the ones responsible for the Heartless disturbing their land. Even if it took all night, Kairi promised to herself that she would make sure the tribe would be safe in the morning.

After making sure the coast was clear, Kairi ran across the village grounds and towards the cornfield. She figured that if this Keyblade wielder was going to hide somewhere, he'd hide in the best possible place and in a place where she wasn't very familiar with. As Kairi reached the cornfield, she heard footsteps behind her. She stopped in her tracks and summoned her Keyblade, thinking she was about to be ambushed. As she turned around, her racing heart slowed down as she saw it was Pocahontas, who had followed her after she snuck out.

"Kairi? Where are you going?" Pocahontas asked.

"I'm going after that stranger. It's the only way to stop this war from happening." Kairi answered in a serious tone. "If your father won't stop this, then I'll do it myself."

"Let me come with you. I can help you."

"Thank you, but you promised to go meet John back at Grandmother Willow's grotto." She shook her head. "You should go meet with him."

Pocahontas' expression softened, as if she were concerned for Kairi's safety. "What if he's dangerous?"

"I know he's dangerous, but it's just as important to keep a promise as it is for me to keep your people safe." She reached into her pouch and gripped the lucky charm tightly. "Trust me. Go let John know what we're doing."

"Pocahontas!"

"Nakoma?" Both girls looked back and realized they were being followed.

"You're going after him, aren't you?" Nakoma asked, her frustration levels rising.

Pocahontas sighed. "I have to do this."

"But he's one of _them_!"

Kairi stepped forward. "Nakoma, this is all a big misunderstanding! That's what I've been trying to tell the chief! I-"

"You need to stay out of this! This none of your concern! You're just an outsider!" Nakoma yelled, cutting Kairi off.

Pocahontas scowled at her friend. "Don't speak to her that way! She's only trying to help! We both are."

"How do you know _she _is not one of them?" Nakoma paused and let that question sink into both Pocahontas and Kairi's minds. Kairi especially didn't take that question too kindly and felt a sharp pit form in her stomach from it. "Pocahontas, I don't want you to get hurt, you're my best friend. If you go out there, you'll be turning your back on your own people."

"I know what I'm doing, please, trust me!" Pocahontas pleaded as she ran deep into the cornfield.

Nakoma turned and looked at Kairi with a harsh glare. "I hope you're happy with what you've done."

"Look, I know you have problems with me, and I don't care what you think about me, but I am here to protect your tribe and to stop this war from happening, and that's what I'm going to do." Kairi said with her voice raised.

Ignoring Nakoma's harsh words, Kairi ran deeper into the cornfield. Instead of travelling south like normal, she travelled north, past the village. It was dark and an unknown area, which admittedly got Kairi's nerves going. She furrowed her eyebrows as she pulled up the compass on her brightly lit gummiwatch screen. _Thank goodness for bright screens, _Kairi thought. She wanted to stay on a strict path so it would be easier to find her way back to the village. Kairi was fine at first, until unsettling noises from _very _close by caused her to be thrown off course.

Large footsteps, rustling bushes, and the cracking of branches, it was all starting to sound like a horror film to Kairi. She was alone in the dark woods and she was also trying to fight whatever anxiety was working up inside of her. Kairi began breathing heavily as the sound of footsteps behind her caused her to run in a completely different direction than intended. Only the sounds of crickets and a lone owl were enough to somewhat calm her down. The wind started picking up, but not in a way that would guide her. She wrapped her arms around herself as shivers worked all throughout her body.

Kairi could've gone back to the village, but instead, she chose to fight off her discomfort. It was either a few hours of misery or possibly someone losing their life. She ran her hands along her arms to warm herself up before running into a completely different neck of the woods. As she jogged along the path, Kairi could hear footsteps running along with her, almost as if they were following her. Yet, she couldn't see anyone. Was it due to the darkness? Oh, it most certainly was, but not the darkness that she expected it to be. Kairi came to a stop in a more open area of the woods and finally caught her breath, only for her heart to begin racing even faster as she caught sight of a dark portal materializing in front of her.

From within that portal, the armored Aros emerged and retained his ground within the shadows, where Kairi couldn't see him all that well. She didn't know who this person was or where they came from. All she knew was that he was a creature of the darkness. As an unsettling dark aura surrounded Kairi that almost felt like overwhelming nausea in every part of her body, she breathed in and out deeply, tightly gripping the hem of her dress, and doing the best she could to not show fear to the stranger.

"Look who _finally_ turned up. I was beginning to wonder if we would ever meet." Aros greeted with a snicker concealed by his helmet.

Kairi swallowed the lump that formed in her throat as she planted her feet firmly in the ground. She didn't say anything, but only glared intensely at him, her hand curling into a fist.

.

"I can see that you have a bit of a conundrum on your plate." He sighed dramatically. "If only there was a way for me to help."

"Who...who are you?" She asked in a low tone.

"No need to be scared, the name's Aros. Let's just say, I am someone who _can _help you."

Kairi took a step back. "Help me? How?"

"You're looking to save someone. Sora, is it?" Aros asked as he began to circle Kairi. She gasped at the sound of his name. "I know someone who can make your life a million times easier and, for lack of a better term, happier. You wouldn't have to traverse to all of these pathetic worlds searching for worthless seashells." 

"Hey! Those seashells are _not _worthless! They are special!" Kairi spat at Aros, offended by his comment.

Aros sighed and shook his head. "Whatever. Going back to what I'm try to say…" He crept up behind Kairi and wrapped an arm around her. Kairi's body began to tremble as she felt him grip her shoulder. "Just imagine, you and your special someone, sitting on that legendary paopu tree, gazing at the sunset, together, forever." He whispered. "Isn't that what you want?"

"Y-Yes...more than anything…" Kairi answered, her voice shaky.

"All you gotta do, is come with me. We'll make it easier on both of us." Aros began to gently massage Kairi's shoulder. "You'll get to see your boyfriend." He shot an intense gaze at her through his helmet. "He's definitely a lucky guy, you're much prettier than my master gives you credit for."

Kairi's eyebrows furrowed as she yanked herself out of Aros' grip, summoning her Keyblade. "I don't know what you want with me, but I know I'm not stupid enough to surrender myself to someone like you!" She yelled. "I'll save Sora myself! I don't need help from you or your master!"

"Heh…you've definitely still got that spunk, even after all these years." Aros snickered as he summoned his Keyblade. "You'd best keep that in check." He pointed his Keyblade towards her. "I'm dangerous."

"I'm...not afraid of you!" Kairi yelled, false courage in her voice. If she could be honest, she was terrified of Aros.

Aros laughed. "Guts...I _like _that in a woman."

"Then shut up and fight like a man!"

Without warning, Kairi sprinted forward and charged at Aros. Standing perfectly still, he planted his feet into the ground and awaited for her attack. His eyes followed her as she leapt up, ready to smack her Keyblade against his skull, only for him to suddenly block her attack with ease. While Kairi stared him down with a clenched jaw, Aros simply snickered and knocked her off of him. She tumbled backwards before immediately hopping to her feet and retaliating. This time, Aros put more into his attack and actually swung his blade towards her.

The constant clings of blades clashing was enough to spook any critters that witnessed the battle. Kairi attempted to cast a Water spell towards Aros, only for him to block it with what looked like a Dark Shield move similar to Riku's. The shield absorbed the attack and was launched right back towards Kairi as an even stronger variation of the spell. Gasping out of fear, she rolled to the side and crouched behind a boulder and peeked out from the top. Aros just stood there tapping his foot, waiting for Kairi's next attack. This time, she cast a Thunder spell and actually damaged Aros.

Now with some damage done to Aros, Kairi hopped onto the boulder and launched herself back towards him in a vortex, almost as if she was ready to shred the young man. Instead, Aros appeared to disappear from in front of her and reappear right above her, thrusting his Keyblade towards her. Kairi managed to block him and pushed him back, only for him to counter with a Dark Firaga, which sent her flying and tumbling backwards quite a distance. As her body smacked down, her lucky charm managed to fall out of her pocket. Aros caught sight of the incomplete charm and dragged his feet towards his fallen opponent.

With a snicker on his face, Aros knelt down and picked up the lucky charm. As he cradled the seashells in his hand, a painful electrical current shot through his chest. In his mind, he suddenly started seeing scenes that he wasn't in, but they were very familiar. He was seeing a memory from the Keyblade Graveyard. It was the battle of Sora, Kairi, and Axel against Xion and Saix. He saw a particular moment where Kairi was fighting against Xion, but temporarily retreated to Axel's side to block a blind attack from Saix. While she was able to block the attack, the impact sent her flying back. Sora rushed over to her side and helped her up while catching her breath on the ground. She looked up to him and smiled softly as he held up his Keyblade and cast a Cure spell on her. Sora smiled widely and gave her his hand to help her up before resuming the fight.

Aros gasped softly and dropped the lucky charm back on the ground and in front of Kairi's face. He aggressively shook his head and raised his Keyblade, as if he were readying to finish her off. Instead, Aros took a look into Kairi's narrowed eyes and lowered his weapon back down to his side, taking a step back. He turned his back to Kairi and dismissed his Keyblade, not bringing himself to look at the girl.

"You should quit while you can, before the darkness takes you."

Kairi grunted as she stood up from the ground. "I won't quit…"

"Heh...well, I'm finished for now." Aros held the crown of his head with one hand. "Come back and fight me when you've grown up a little and stopped crying over your stupid and pathetic boyfriend." 

"You don't know what you're saying! You know nothing about feelings! I betcha you don't even have a heart in you!"

Aros stopped in his tracks, a soft gasp escaping him. "That's harsh coming from a Princess of Heart." He jerked his head back. "Instead of worrying about me, maybe you should start worrying about _your friend_."

"Pocahontas!"

Kairi instantly rushed back the way she came and left Aros alone. She didn't bother paying attention to her surroundings and just ran towards the one place she knew best. Heartless continuously materialized in her way, but all she could do was give them a hard swing before moving on. Her priority was making sure Pocahontas was okay and that she wasn't in any real danger. The closer she got to Grandmother Willow's grotto, Kairi heard sets of footsteps rushing toward her. She couldn't tell what these footsteps belonged to, so she gripped the handle of her Keyblade and readied herself for whatever was coming after her.

Lucky for Kairi, those footsteps belonged to Xion and Namine, who stopped in front of their friend, trying to catch their breath.

"Kairi!"

"Xion! Namine! What's wrong?" Kairi asked, panicking with them.

"John and Kocoum, they're fighting!" Namine answered in a distressed tone.

"WHAT?"

"The three of us went and met with Pocahontas at the grotto and Kocoum found us and attacked John! He's trying to kill him!" Xion explained as she and Namine followed Kairi, who had already begun to sprint towards the grotto.

Kairi gasped as her already racing heart suddenly picked up. She reached the grotto with the rest of the girls involuntarily gasped, her jaw dropping slightly. Kocoum had just thrown John onto the ground and was now holding him down as he tried to impale him with a small knife. Kairi's head started rushing as her eyes darted between the two men and also catching sight of Pocahontas, who was trying to break the fight. Her immediate reaction was to run in and try to break the two of them up. The problem with that was that Kocoum already didn't trust her and he was also very strong. There was the chance that he'd hurt her too and have more of an excuse to not trust her.

"Kocoum!" Kairi softly gasped. "This is bad...really bad…"

"What do we do?" Namine asked as she gripped Kairi's arm.

"I...I don't know..." She softly answered, as her grip on her Keyblade loosened. Kairi breathed deeply as she watched John and Kocoum wrestle on the ground, trying to push each other off.

Xion pressed a hand against her forehead. "Well...what would Sora do?"

"Sora…He would…"

Kairi repeated to herself as her eyes focused on the fight. She felt hopeless watching a friend and a member of the tribe she has sworn to protect fight each other to the death. It triggered a painful flashback of when Sora and Riku faced each other at Hollow Bastion and essentially fought over her heart. She never wanted to be put in the middle of that situation ever again. Although Kairi and Kocoum weren't on the best of terms, keeping her promise to protect Powhatan's people, no matter who they were, were just as important to her as remaining loyal to a friend. Watching Pocahontas try and get between the two men didn't make it any easier to watch. Instead, she started scanning the area, trying to figure out a solution.

While scanning the area, out of the corner of her eye, Kairi caught sight of something shiny. She gasped as she immediately picked up what it was.

"KOCOUM!"

Kairi sprinted forward and tackled the warrior, knocking him to the side just as a gunshot fired, hitting her in the shoulder.

**A/N: OMG that chapter was long! And yes...I'm sorry for doing that to Kairi…*Runs and hides under a rock***


	19. The Drums of War

**A/N: Okay, this is probably one of my favorite chapters that I've written so far, so I hope you guys enjoy reading this one as much as I enjoyed writing it!**

* * *

Chapter 19: The Drums of War

"KAIRI!"

Xion and Namine shouted as they sprinted over and knelt down by Kairi's unconscious body. Pocahontas followed right behind them and supported her head while Kocoum knelt next to her and used part of his breechcloth to hold pressure towards the gunshot wound and stop the blood. Everybody appeared to be in a state of panic, even John, who was just now getting off the ground and Thomas, the one who shot her, ran over, as if him firing the gun was unintentional or shot at the wrong target.

"Is she-?" Thomas asked, breathing heavily.

"Kairi…" Xion muttered softly, tears forming in her eyes. For a second, she could've sworn she heard Sora's voice speaking through her. "You shot her…"

"Xion, I'm so sorry…" He began apologizing.

Tears flowing down her face, Xion shouted in anguish before summoning her Keyblade and sprinting towards Thomas. Before had had time to react, the angry girl tackled him to the ground, holding him down with the side of her weapon. Her breathing had become heavy and rapid and the look in her eyes spelled wrath and despair. In fact, it almost looked like she was expressing enough emotions for two. Thomas panicked as he stared into the pain-stricken face of Xion, thinking she was going to kill him right there on the spot.

"WHY HER?" Xion shouted.

"Hasn't she suffered enough?" Namine cried out while squeezing Kairi's hand.

"We trusted you..."

John hurried over and pulled Xion off of Thomas. "Xion, it won't do you any good reacting like this!" The sounds of voices from a distance grabbed the attention of everyone in the area. "Get out of here, Thomas!" John commanded.

Kairi's eyes fluttered open to the blurry vision of her friends looking down at her. "Wha…?"

"Kairi! You're okay!" Xion and Namine exclaimed.

"I gue-OW!" She grunted loudly while holding her bloody shoulder. She gritted her teeth, attempting to keep herself from crying out in pain. The spot where Thomas had shot her felt like a knife stabbing into her shoulderbone directly. "It hurts!" Kairi whimpered.

Kocoum picked her up and carried her in his arms. "Let's get her to the village, quickly!" He and Pocahontas watched as multiple Powhatan men ran in the area and grabbed John by the arms, arresting him.

Kairi began breathing heavily, her eyes growing heavy and her vision blurry. While being carried, she could've sworn she saw Sora looking down helplessly at her, holding a hand out for her to take it. She attempted to reach a hand out to take it, only for the shock of her wound to make her feel incredibly weak. Her hand dropped before it could make any further moves and her head started to feel dizzy.

"Sora…" Kairi whispered. "I tried…"

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Back at the village, immediate attention from the chief was called upon as one of the many young men ran into Powhatan's house and announced that there was an incident. The news travelled through the village quickly as more members of the tribe emerged from their houses and gathered outside. Multiple faces turned and focused on Kocoum as he entered the village, carrying an unconscious Kairi in his arms. Namine and Xion followed closely behind them while the arrested John Smith was dragged in the back. Powhatan furrowed his eyebrows as he stepped forward and got a better look at Kairi. His jaw hung slightly as his eyes narrowed at the wound. He could only sigh heavily at the damage that had been done.

The silent village was suddenly full of commotion with the villagers talking amongst themselves, asking the same questions. What happened? Why was Kairi unconscious? Was anybody else hurt? Where was Pocahontas? Who was responsible for this incident? Villagers' reactions were anything from shock to worry as their tribe's protector crossed their line of sight. Soka and Alawa watched from behind their mother's legs despite them being told to stay inside. As the girls came to the realization that Kairi was hurt, both of them broke down crying. Even some of the young adult women couldn't hold back their tears while the young men stayed strong for the women.

"Who did this?" Powhatan asked sternly.

"Pocahontas was out in the woods, Kocoum went to find her, and this white man attacked him." A young Powhatan man answered for everyone.

"But it wasn't-" Namine tried speaking up only John to shush her and shake his head.

Powhatan walked over to John and pointed his spear towards his throat. "Your weapons are strong, but our anger is stronger. At sunrise, he'll be the first to die!

"But father!" Pocahontas interrupted as she ran to Xion and Namine's side.

"Pocahontas! I told you to stay in the village! You have disobeyed and shamed your father!"

Xion stepped forward, her eyebrows furrowed. "Sir, please! She was only-"

"Silence!" He cut Xion off, forcing her to step back.

"Father, I was only trying to help. I was trying to help everyone!" Pocahontas argued.

Powhatan clenched his teeth and thrust his spear against the ground. "Enough of your foolishness! _This _is what it leads to this time, next time, someone could be dead!" He yelled as he pointed towards Kocoum and Kairi. "Kocoum, take Kairi to the healing house. As for the white man, take him away!"

Everyone dispersed following Powhatan's orders to return to their homes. Xion and Namine sighed helplessly, as did Pocahontas as she fell to the ground on her knees. Namine attempted to try and talk to her only for Nakoma to hold her back by the shoulder. She could tell by the look in her eyes that Nakoma wanted to be the one to talk to Pocahontas. Xion and Namine nodded out of respect for her wishes and left the two young ladies alone to have a word with each other. In the meantime, they decided to follow Kairi over to the healing house where she was getting treated for her gunshot wound.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

_Kairi have to question for a moment if she was dead or not. She was suddenly back home on Destiny Islands, on the beach of the play island. Her bare feet were planted in the sand as she stood by the water's edge and allowed it to drift back and forth along the coast. Kairi felt like it was real for a moment. She could smell everything in the air. The sea salt, the flowers, the fish, and even a familiar natural scent that belonged to someone. The scent grew stronger as she heard footsteps behind. They were soft, but the size of their feet made out for loud footsteps. He stopped close enough behind Kairi that she could sense his presence immediately. _

"_Kairi?"_

"_S-Sora?" Kairi muttered his name. "Are you really there?"  
_

"_Yeah, I'm right here."__He muttered softly._

_Kairi softly gasped as she felt two hands rest on her shoulders from behind. "Y-you...you really are here." She choked out._

"_It's like I said before, I'm always with you too."_

"_Sora...I can feel you...but I can't see you. I want to see you so badly."_

"_I know…" Sora softly said with a slow nod. "I can't see you either."_

"_How did you find me?" _

_Sora smiled warmly. "I just followed my heart. I heard your voice. Your heart was calling out to mine."_

_Kairi sniffled, silently sobbing as tears fell down her cheeks. "Sora...I'm so scared."_

"_Shhh…." He whispered as he wrapped his arms around Kairi's waist and hugged her tightly. He turned his face until his lips were right by her ear. "You'll be okay. You're strong, and you make me feel strong." Sora shifted a hand so it was resting over Kairi's chest. "Listen to your heart. It'll guide you, just like it did for me."_

"_I miss you…" She whispered as she rested her hand on top of his, each other's grip tightening._

_Sora nodded. "I miss you too. Our hearts are forever intertwined, so we'll see each other again, I promise."_

"_Sora…"_

"_May your heart be your guiding key." He whispered before evaporating into thin air._

_Kairi gasped at the lack of Sora's presence. "Sora? Sora? Please, don't go!" She cried softly._

_-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-_

Kairi's eyes fluttered open to the blurred vision of the healing house. Within the house was an elderly woman, presumably the one who nursed her back to health...sort of. The room felt like it was spinning. If they gave her medicine, she felt like they definitely gave her too much. Both eyes scanned the room and saw Kocoum standing by the foot of her bed and Xion and Namine sitting off to the side talking amongst each other. Her head inched to the side and caught sight of her right shoulder that was now fully bandaged up. Despite that, it still hurt rather badly. Two flowers, from Soka and Alawa, rested next to her. Kairi sighed and took the flowers as she slowly began to sit up, grunting from the pain of her shoulder.

"Hm? W-where am I?" She muttered softly.

"Kairi!" Namine and Xion exclaimed as they ran over to Kairi's bed.

"Guys...I feel really funny...What happened?"

Namine sat at the end of the bed. "Well, there was an accident and you were shot."

"But thankfully you survived." Xion said smiling widely. "You saved Kocoum's life though."

"Kocoum?"

"Yep, and he hasn't left your side all night." Namine said pointing to him. "He feels like he owes you his life and has sworn to protect you."

"Wow...I never knew he was capable of that." Kairi said running a hand up and down her arm. Her heart skipped beats, allowing a gasp to escape her. "Wait! Where are Pocahontas and John?"

Xion held her head low, Namine's following. "Kairi…

"What?"

"Thomas was the one who shot you by accident, but John took the blame. Because of that, the Powhatans are holding him captive and have sentenced him to death at sunrise."

Kairi softly gasped and shook her head in denial. "No…What about Pocahontas?"

Namine sighed and placed a hand over her chest. "She's so heartbroken. We tried to have his life spared, but John refused to let us confess that Thomas was the shooter." She sniffled as a tear formed in her eye. "It's even worse, Kairi. They're going to war in the morning and John is going to be executed…"

"No...I can't let this happen!"

Kairi flipped the blanket off and hurried out of the tent, holding her tender arm. She jogged across the village and over to the tent where John was being held captive. Nakoma stood right outside the tent looking in. Two indian men stood in front of the tent, guarding it. Kairi requested that she take a peek inside and, despite them not wanting her to, they allowed her to take a quick look. She ducked her head in and found John tied up to a post in the middle of the tent in addition to a desperate Pocahontas attempting to embrace him. The two exchanged inaudible words with each other, but it didn't take a genius to know what was going on.

Feeling a harsh pit form in her stomach, Kairi's heart sank as she looked into the eyes of a heartbroken Pocahontas and saw the all too familiar sadness within them. It was the same that her eyes had during her final moments with Sora. It was these final moments where Kairi empathized with Pocahontas' desperation for one last look, one last touch, one last exchange, just one more second. It was those final moments where Kairi wanted to bargain, tried to think of what could've happened, tried to think of how to make it right, decided she was willing to give up whatever she could just to have him by her side. Whatever attempts she made, they weren't enough. Sora had already doomed himself and had to pay the price, but it was worth it in his eyes.

Tears built up in Kairi's eyes as she watched Pocahontas and John exchange the same look she and Sora did during their final seconds. John had even managed to pull a 'Sora' and keep the situation in a positive light. He would've rather died tomorrow than go a hundred years without knowing Pocahontas. Much like how Sora was willing to die rather than let Kairi be alone in the dark for one more second. Her hand gripped the edge of the tent as she shut her eyes, trying to fight back tears. _One more second..._Kairi thought. A tear fell down her face, fogging up her vision. _Please, just let them have one more second..._

"Kairi?" Namine asked.

"I did this…" She muttered softly, closing the flap and walking away. "This is all my fault…"

Xion shook her head placed a hand on Kairi's good shoulder. "No, don't blame yourself. You were only trying to help."

"Now I know why Merlin stressed no 'meddling' during training. Everything would've been better off here if I just stayed out of it…" She clutched her breaking heart and quietly sobbed. "Why? Why does it have to be this way? Why can't they just be happy together? Why can't _anybody _be happy with the person they love?" Kairi vented. "It isn't fair! If it's not me and Sora, then it's one of my friends!"

Namine and Xion looked at each other helplessly before hugging her. "I wish we could be more help, Kairi." Namine softly wished.

Xion nodded. "I wish I could understand life the way you do, but I don't. I feel awful about it. I still have yet to understand how complicated life really is."

"Kairi…"

Kairi looked up with glassy eyes. "Nakoma?"

Nakoma stepped closer to Kairi and placed her hands on the redhead's shoulder. "This wasn't your fault, believe me. I sent Kocoum after Pocahontas." She sighed, a guilty expression on her face. "I was...worried about her."

"But I was the one who told her to go meet with John despite how much she preferred to help me out with the manhunt."

"I am also guilty...for my anger towards you tonight." Nakoma confessed. "You arrived on such short notice and suddenly, you and Pocahontas were like sisters within days. She's been my best friend since we were children, and I was afraid of losing her."

Kairi sighed and shook her head, smiling weakly. "No, Nakoma. I could never, and _would _never do that. I know what it's like to have a special bond with a friend, and knowing what it's like, I can never take that away from someone without feeling rotten." She paused as she rested her hand over her heart. "Pocahontas has been a great friend and was very helpful in helping me find my own friends, but...I could never replace you."

"Kairi…"

"Besides, I know all about wanting to protect someone you care about."

Nakoma shook her head. "I was wrong about you. I should've helped you instead of tried to push you away. It was a lot, protecting us _and _trying to help Pocahontas."

"Well, if I can make one more promise to you and your people, it's that I will fix this, somehow." Kairi said with a grunt.

Xion took Kairi by the back and began to nudge her back towards the house. "You need to rest, at least for now. We'll figure something out." Both girls watched as Pocahontas came rushing out of the tent, trying to dry her tears and not even noticing any of the girls. Kairi gave Xion a helpless look before her friend gave her a reassuring smile. "Like I said, you go rest. I'm gonna go follow Pocahontas and try to talk to her."

"While you're doing that," Namine curled her hand into a fist and held it against her chest. "I'd better run back to the settlers' camp. If the indians are threatening to fight then the settlers will definitely do the same. I have to go try and stop them."

"Namine!" Kairi and Xion both exclaimed, concerned for her safety.

"Don't worry about me, I'll be okay, but I have to try, for everyone."

Namine hurried into the woods and immediately set path for the settlers' camp. Thanks to her excellent memory, she had retained the path that the girls had taken during their time here in the world. She even had her Keyblade summoned in case any Heartless stopped her, which naturally, there were. Little ones, but they were in her way, regardless. Namine swung her Keyblade and cast Thunder spells to help take out the Heartless quickly. Lucky for her, they were smaller swarms unlike the last one where it took all three of the girls to finish them off including the Raging Pine.

The sounds of commotion between the settlers drove Namine to sprint even faster back to the camp. There was plenty of light thanks to the torches that were lit up. She hurried onto the campgrounds and saw that everyone had gathered in front of a platform. By everyone, this meant every single man that had travelled to the new world. It almost looked like an army in Namine's eyes. She could barely hear her own thoughts as men talking loudly among themselves echoed in her ears. She pushed her way through the crowd up until she finally saw Thomas towards the front. Hoping to get his attention, she reached forward and tapped him on the shoulder.

"Thomas! What are you doing?" Namine asked.

"The savages got Smith! We're gonna go after him!" He answered, his eyebrows furrowed.

"I agree that we should do something, but there's a way to do this without fighting!"

"And something we shall do!" Ratcliffe declared as he stood above his men, armed and ready for battle. "We warned Smith that those savages couldn't be trusted. He chose to befriend one of them and look what they've done to him! Now, at daybreak, we will attack and rescue our courageous comrade!"

Namine gasped, shaking her head. "No! I won't let you!" She ran up onto the platform Ratcliffe was on, attempting to make herself seen and heard. "You can't do this! Fighting won't solve anything! It'll only make things worse!"

"Enough of this nonsense!"

"Please! Just hear me out! I know it looks bad, but really, these people are not what you think they are! It's a big misunderstanding! They're no different from us!"

Ratcliffe scoffed, grabbing Namine by the shoulder, and turning her around so she was facing his scowling face. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you and your friends are savages yourselves!"

"We're not savages! _You are!_" Namine yelled, curling her hand into a fist and jerking away from Ratliffe. Her insult elicited many gasps from the crowd below them.

"Seize her!" Ratcliffe yelled as he shoved Namine down onto the ground.

Three men ran up and grabbed Namine by the arms and back, warranting her defenseless and unable to summon her Keyblade. She struggled and squirmed around, hoping she would eventually escape, but their grips were enough to even cause physical pain on Namine's petite body. Thomas ran forward briefly before stopping in his tracks thanks to Ratcliffe shooting a glare that basically spelled out harsh consequences if he went against his orders.

"Let go! Let go of me!" Namine yelled. She shot a harsh glare towards Thomas as she was dragged off. "You coward!" She yelled at him.

Ratcliffe scoffed, kicking some dirt in her direction. "Figures. She was just another useless female."

Throughout the entire night, Namine spent it tied up against a post. The last thing she expected to do was be held hostage. The more she thought about it, the more she realized she should've expected it with how she and Xion were treated upon arrival. Namine struggled to escape for the longest time only for her to exhaust herself. She managed to sleep (poorly) throughout the later hours until the bright rays of the sunrise gave her a harsh wakeup call. It wasn't only a harsh wakeup call because of the lack of quality rest she had, but Ratcliffe and his army were now assembling for the battle that Namine failed to stop.

"This is the day, men!" Ratcliffe announced. He turned and stared down his men with his chest puffed out. "Are there _any other _objections?" Not a single sound was muttered from a single man. "That's what I thought. What do you expect from filthy heathens? That's what you get when races are diverse. Their skin's a hellish red, they're only good when dead, they're vermin as I said and worse, what are they?"

"Savages!" The men hollered as they held up their rifles.

"For the whole world to hear!"

"Savages!"

"Let's go, men!"

Namine's breathing intensified as she helplessly watched the army march out of the camp. Each of them equipped with a fully loaded rifle and every intention of taking down every last indian they encounter. They didn't even seem to care about the Heartless anymore, nobody did. Tears flooded Namine's eyes as held her head low. She did all she could and it wasn't enough. She was afraid for everyone. She was afraid for Kairi's health, the wellbeing of Pocahontas' village, and felt betrayed by Thomas. Namine silently cried as she prayed in her mind that Xion and Kairi would be able to handle things.

After some time of being left alone, the sounds of footsteps patting at the ground caught Namine's attention. She noticed the shadow of someone getting larger and brought her tear-stricken face back up. Her jaw dropped and gasped softly as she saw Thomas standing there with a firm look on his face.

"Thomas? What are you doing here?" Namine asked, her voice raised an octave.

Thomas sighed and stepped closer to her. "I had to come back."

"Good, because I'm gonna yell at you for not only hurting my best friend, but for not sticking up for what's right! I thought you were better than them!"

"You're right…"

Namine's scowl faded as she tilted her head to the side. "I am?"

"I am a coward. I'm a slipshot sailor and poor excuse for a soldier." Thomas reprimanded himself. "Gathering the courage to fire the gun last night was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do." He paused as his eyebrows furrowed and locked eyes with Namine. "But if there's one thing I've realized, it's that a real man will stick up for what's right and not back down."

"What are you doing?" She asked as Thomas stepped around her.

Thomas took out a knife and cut the ropes that held Namine hostage, releasing her. "I'm doing what I should've done a long time ago. They've already gotten a head start, but if we hurry, we could catch up."

Namine smiled widely and nodded. "Spoken like a true man! Now, let's go! We've got a war to stop!" She exchanged a confident glimmer in her eye with Thomas before the two of them took off sprinting into woods, following the same path as the settlers.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Remembering the river's course, and also following Meeko, Percy, and Flit, Xion travelled back down to Grandmother Willow's grotto in the wee hours of the night. There was a sense of tension even with the animals. It was almost as if the animals understood what was going on. She looked down at Meeko and Percy, who looked back up at her helplessly. Xion sighed and knelt down, allowing Meeko to crawl onto her shoulders and scooped Percy into her arms. Flit even gave up on fluttering and perched on top of her head, letting out a low, long tweet as he held his little head low.

Xion pushed into the grotto through the vines and took a look up. Just as Kairi had predicted, Pocahontas was sitting on the stump of the tree and talking to Grandmother Willow. She set the animals down on the ground and began to climb the roots. She joined Pocahontas on the stump and the animals followed right behind her.

"They're going to kill him at sunrise, Grandmother Willow." Pocahontas muttered softly.

"You have to stop them, remember your dream." Grandmother Willow encouraged.

Xion nodded and rested a hand on her shoulder. "She's right, Pocahontas. I'm not sure what your dream was, but we can't just quit now."

"I can't, I was wrong, I followed the wrong path." Pocahontas brought her knees up to her chest and hid her face. "I feel so lost…"

Xion furrowed her eyebrows and held her head low. "Pocahontas, you know, some of us are thrown into this big scary world and have no idea where to go from where we start." She confided with a smile. She looked down affectionately at Percy, petting him as he sat next to Xion and nuzzled her in the side. "But Grandmother Willow's right. Your heart will know the right path."

Pocahontas sighed and shook her head. "I tried to help and now, John is going to be killed, Kairi is hurt, and so many of our people are also going to be killed. All of this is happening because I tried listening to my heart."

"Hey, I don't know much about love, but from what Kairi has told me about it, it sounds like it's one of the most powerful and mysterious forces out there. Nobody knew this is what it would lead to." Xion rested her hand on Meeko's back as he came back down and sat by the girls with something in his mouth. "It's too bad. I was looking forward to a love story with a happy ending for once."

"Child," Grandmother Willow intervened. "Maybe you didn't follow your heart for your own personal gain. Maybe deep down, you wanted to prove to your father and your people that you could follow in your mother's footsteps and become the leader she once was."

Tears built up in Pocahontas' eyes. She wiped them away before anyone could see them. "Instead of following the right path like my mother did, I followed the wrong path. I'm just a lost shadow of my mother." She gripped her mother's necklace that she wore and yanked it off, throwing it into the water below them.

Xion gasped as she watched the jewelry hit the water's surface. She hopped down the roots and attempted to gather the pieces. She managed to recover all of them and decided to shove them into the zipped pocket of her hoodie for the meantime. Xion climbed back up the roots where Pocahontas continued to hide her face in shame. She exhaled heavily and brushed some hair behind her ear as she looked down into her reflection in the water. A lump formed in her throat as she looked down and saw Sora's reflection staring back at her with the same saddened expression.

"The thing is, I have no path. I _was _a literal nobody, and to this day, I probably still am. Even in my own body, I'll still be remembered as someone who was created to be a replica and takes my current form because of someone else's memories. I thought everything would be easier now that I was my own self, but now, it's even more complicated. I don't even know _what _I am. I don't understand a lot of complex emotions or mindsets. I might as well be a nobody." She placed her hand under Pocahontas' chin and tilted her face up. "But you, you're the daughter of a chief, and one that many look up to, including Kairi, Namine, and myself. You have a path, and you have a big heart with good intentions. You don't find many like that in the world."

Grandmother Willow smiled and nodded. "She's right, child. You have a path, you just have to open your heart to the light that awaits you."

Pocahontas smiled slightly at everyone in front of her. She wiped her tears and brushed hair behind her ear. "I still wish I knew what to do about the war. John doesn't deserve to die, nobody does."

Meeko purred and scurried forward. He lightly tapped Pocahontas' arm and held out something round. She furrowed her eyebrows as she took it from his hand. It was a round trinket that appeared to have an arrow in the middle.

"A compass?" Xion asked upon realization.

Pocahontas nodded as she studied it. "It belonged to John and Meeko took it when we first met." Her eyes narrowed as she focused specifically on the arrow that tilted at even the slightest movement. "Spinning arrow…"

"What's this about a spinning arrow?"

"It's the arrow from your dream, child!" Grandmother Willow exclaimed as the wind began to intensify around them.

"I was right! It was pointing to him!"

Pocahontas smiled widely. She and Xion watched as the wind blew against the compass, speeding up the arrow's spinning. As the arrow spun even faster, the bright red tint of the sunrise peeked into Grandmother Willow's grotto. Both girls looked towards the opening, their jaws dropping slightly at the realization that time was running out and soon, the settlers and the indians would be going head-to-head.

"Pocahontas, look!" Xion pointed out.

"Sunrise!"

"It's not too late, child!" Grandmother Willow advised. "Let the spirits of the earth guide you! You know your path child, now follow it!"

"Okay!" Xion hopped up and helped Pocahontas up. "Let's go, Pocahontas!"

As the two of them hopped off of Grandmother Willow's tree to rush off to the battle site, Xion found herself cornered by a materializing dark portal. She held an arm out, preparing herself for whoever emerged from it. Xion narrowed her eyes as Aros stepped out of the portal, summoning her Keyblade and pointing it towards him.

"You!" She growled. "You're the one who tried to hurt Kairi!"

Aros scoffed. "Talk about disappointed. I was hoping to find the real thing here and not just a dark-haired _copy_ of her."

"Copy?"

"Well, I guess you'll do...for _bait_." Aros snickered as he summoned his Keyblade.

Xion gripped her Keyblade tightly while shooting a deadly scowl towards him. "Get out of the way! I don't have time to deal with you!"

"And...that's not my problem. You shouldn't have left Kairi-WHOA!" Aros was cut off as he felt something grab him by the ankle and yank him off the ground. He stared ahead and found himself staring upside down at Grandmother Willow's face.

"That will be enough of that!" She yelled.

"Uh...is that a talking tree? And why does she have the face of an old lady?"

Grandmother Willow gasped, her eyes widened at Aros' insult. "OLD LADY?" She began repeatedly slamming Aros on the ground face first with her vines. "Now, if you don't mind, these girls have something IMPORTANT!" She finished off with a hard slam to the ground, knocking him unconscious. "Hmph, that oughta take care of _him. _Now, go! Stop them!"

Pocahontas smiled and nodded. "Thank you, Grandmother Willow!" She waved Xion to follow her as she began jogging out of the grotto. "We have to hurry!"

"I'm right behind you!" Xion nodded as she followed closely behind.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

What felt like one of the longest nights of Kairi's life continued to hover over her like a storm cloud. She had been anxious all night about what was happening between the indians and the settlers, and her shoulder had been in pain, making it impossible for her to sleep on one of her sides. Kairi's eyes cracked open and slowly scanned inside the house. Kocoum still remained by her side keeping watch, which she appreciated, but felt unnecessary. Her shoulder was still very sore and felt like somebody was pressing a hard boulder against it. As she rubbed her shoulder, Kairi leaned forward into the rays of sunlight peeking through the opening to her tent.

"It's sunrise...It's sunrise!" She gasped, scrambling out of bed and grunting at her moving her injured shoulder too much. "There's still time to stop this!"

"But you're hurt! It's too late. Once war has begun, it cannot be stopped." Kocoum firmly said as he ran to her, holding his arm out.

"But Kocoum, you've been through war before. You should know more than any of us that war only ends in pain and suffering! Nobody wins. I've seen it for myself. I will not watch innocent people die for nothing!"

Kocoum said nothing. He only stared intensely at the fiery youth in front of him. "I underestimated you."

"What does your heart tell you? Listen to it! Just stop and listen to your heart, carefully." Kairi pleaded.

Finally choosing to listen to Kairi, Kocoum shut his eyes and breathed deeply, taking a moment to listen to what his inner spirit was saying. "I owe you my life, and my life, I will devote to protecting your heart, and the path it chooses."

"Okay, lead the way!"

"No, _you_ lead the way. You'll make a great leader one day."

Kairi smiled as she furrowed her eyebrows and nodded. She ran into the forest, trying not to put too much stress on her aching shoulder with Kocoum trailing behind her. The red tinted sky felt like a burning fire as the drums of war echoed through the minds and hearts through Kairi, Namine, and Xion. Each of them hurried to the battle site as fast as they could. Xion followed behind Pocahontas, knowing well that she would know where to go while Namine and Thomas were trying their best to keep up with Ratcliffe's angry mob. This time, Kairi had no time to ask questions about whether she was going the right path. She had to trust fully in her heart that she knew the way. The wind managed to pick up for all three of the girls, further guiding them towards the battle site.

On the way, Kairi and Kocoum came across a cliff that had a large gap between the two sides. She caught sight of it and realized their only option was to jump. Her heart started racing at the possibility that she may not make it over and if she doesn't, she was done for. _All around you are spirits child. They live in the earth, the water, the sky. If you listen, they will guide you. _Grandmother Willow's wisdom echoed in Kairi's earts. _Listen to the spirit within..._Kairi muttered in her mind. _Listen with your heart._ She heard Grandmother Willow remind her. Kairi took in a deep breath before speeding her run up to sprint, her eyes narrowing in on the jump. _Eagle, help my feet to fly! Mountain help my heart be free! Spirit of the deer, help me jump! Spirits of the earth and sky… _She repeated to herself as she approached the edge. _GIVE ME STRENGTH!_

Kairi threw herself off the edge, and over. During air time, she felt like time had slowed down and was floating. In a way, it felt like an eagle was carrying her over the gorge. Kocoum watched with widened eyes as the spirits carried her over and allowed her to have a smooth landing on the other side. She took a moment to catch her breath from the adrenaline that was pumping hard within her. The sound of Kocoum's footsteps pounding against the ground drew her attention as she looked back and saw him jumping across the same gorge. As he landed on the same side as Kairi, his foot slipped off the edge, causing him to lose his footing. Kocoum held tightly onto the cliff's edge as Kairi ran over and grabbed him by the hand and helped him up.

Once safely up, the two held tight eye contact for a moment before Kocoum bowed his head out of respect for her. Kairi smiled before continuing them on their path. The closer they got to the battle site, the louder the battle chants from both sides became. The sun cast enough light through the tall trees to guide all three girls to the open area where the Powhatans and settlers met for the battle. Kairi and Kocoum found the tribe and caught up to them, Kairi running to the front to try and reason with the chief only to find him not at the front like she thought. Xion and Pocahontas entered the site from a completely different pathway that was almost out of everyone's line of vision. Namine and Thomas managed to catch up to the settlers, hoping they could stop Ratcliffe. Instead, something else caught all three girls' attentions.

At the top of a steep hill, Powhatan, as well as a few of indian men, dragged John with them, and threw him on the ground. The chief retrieved a large club and eyed the young helpless white man as he held the weapon above his head. While Xion and Namine were too much in a state of shock to move, Pocahontas and Kairi's first instincts kicked in. Both girls began sprinting towards Powhatan and John from opposite directions. Kairi summoned her Keyblade as she kept her eyes fixated on the chief, not even realizing that Pocahontas was also running towards him.

Just as Powhatan threw all of his strength into smashing the club towards John's skull...

"NO!"

Pocahontas collapsed on top of John to shield him from her father's attack and Kairi jumped in front of both of them, also blocking him. The club smashed hard against the Keyblade, nearly causing her to lose her footing and even putting a dent in her weapon.

"If you kill him, you'll have to kill me too." Pocahontas declared, breathing heavily.

Kairi shook her head and held her arm out. "He's gonna have to go through _me _if he's gonna hurt either one of you."

"Kairi, Pocahontas, stand back." Powhatan firmly ordered.

"Chief, with all due respect, I can't step to the side and watch my friends die."

"Do as I say, that's an order!"

Pocahontas scowled and lifted her head up. "We won't! He does not deserve to die!"

Powhatan growled through his teeth. "Pocahontas-"

"Father! I love him!"

Gasps elicited from both the Powhatans and the settlers. Namine and Xion ran further towards the execution spot, their jaws slightly dropped and their hearts racing at the sight of Kairi throwing herself between the chief and their friends. The Powhatans all shared surprised looks with each other as did the settlers. It almost sounded unreal, hearing Pocahontas declare her love for this young man who was completely different from her. Kairi, on the other hand, was not surprised and was willing to fight for them.

"Look around you! This is where the path of hatred has brought us!" Pocahontas argued, raising her voice.

Kairi nodded, stepping forward. "She's right, Chief." She raised her voice, allowing her to project enough that both sides could hear. "Settlers, you do not know this, but I came to this land and was welcomed into the Powhatan tribe as a 'hero'. Well, I can't call myself a hero, but I can call myself a witness to the fires of war. And if there's one thing I've learned, is that nobody wins." Her heart started racing as she thought back to the Keyblade War. "Everybody loses something, or someone. And for what? Land? Power? Respect? Is it really worth taking innocent lives for something that invaluable?" She paused, her eyebrows furrowing. "I've already had to watch innocent people lose their lives once before, and I will not stand by and let this happen again."

Pocahontas nodded in agreement. "This is the path that I have chosen, Father. What will yours be?"

"I also feel in my heart that I'm heading down the right path, the path towards life, love, and light." Kairi said firmly before dropping her Keyblade on the ground. "And if anyone here refuses to listen to their hearts and chooses to fight, then I will be the first to fall."

"Kairi!" Xion gasped.

Namine stepped forward, in distress. "Kairi? What about Sora?"

Kairi looked to her two friends off to the side, smiling weakly. "Sora would do the same thing." She held her weaponless arms out in front of Pocahontas and John, shutting her eyes. "Chief, if you choose to go down the path to war rather than the path to peace, then do so by striking me down!"

Namine shook her head as Xion came up and placed a hand on her shoulder. The blonde shut her eyes and hid her face in Xion's shoulder, unable to handle the possibility that Kairi could be killed at that very moment. Powhatan, taking his eyes off of his tribe's protector, darted between the two opposing sides. The settlers had their guns ready to fire while his tribe had bows ready with arrows. The great chief that many looked up to was at a fork in his path. One single move would send him down either one. If the war was what his heart desired, all he had to do was strike down Kairi, and the peaceful land that everyone stood on would become a warzone of gunfire and arrows.

The wind started picking up, and colored leaves started floating in a synchronized manner towards Powhatan. As if he could feel the spirit of the wind floating right through him, the chief shut his eyes, allowing the wind to blow through his hair. Kairi opened her eyes and looked around to see the leaves swirling around her, Pocahontas, and John. It was an amazing sight to her. The chief was listening to the wind and he hadn't moved forward with the battle. Everyone else seemed just as surprised as she was. Namine and Xion marveled at the floating leaves as did the settlers. It wasn't until Powhatan took one last look at both his daughter and Kairi before raising his club sideways, admitting defeat and creating an even stronger gust of wind.

"My daughter speaks with wisdom beyond her years. And Kairi has shown us courage and understanding. We all come here with anger in our hearts, but as they stand before me here, they have taught us that hatred is an evil spirit." Powhatan projected out to both opposing sides before looking back at Kairi and Pocahontas, both with relieved looks on their faces. "From this day forward, if there is to be more killing, it will not start with me." He paused and looked back at one of his tribe members. "Release him."

Kairi smiled widely and ran to the side, allowing the indian to step forward and cut John's restraint. Xion and Namine ran towards their friend, relieved that she was still okay. With him free, Pocahontas was allowed to run into John's arms and much-needed embrace. Kairi watched with admiration and a heart soft enough to form tears in her eyes. Pocahontas' courage was enough to remind her why she was standing there that very day. She realized that if her heart remained strong like Pocahontas', then the day she and Sora reunite will come in due time.

Xion and Namine came up behind Kairi and placed their hands on her back supportively. She turned and saw the proud faces of her two friends, wiping the forming tears from her eyes. Kairi shut her eyes and smiled while pulling both of them into a group hug. Even if the three of them hadn't been traveling together for very long, Kairi had never felt more grateful to have Xion and Namine having her back throughout this difficult journey.

Everyone on both sides decided to accept Powhatan's surrender. The settlers lowered their rifles down to their sides while the indians lowered their bows and arrows. The sun had risen on a new day. It was a new day where everyone could exist together in peace. Well, everyone except for one...

"Now's our chance! Fire!" Ratcliffe ordered.

Thomas immediately stood in front of him, scowling. "No! They let him go!"

Namine, who was witnessing the exchange, ran down and stood by Thomas' side. "That's enough! They don't want to fight! If you don't believe us, you'll have to go through all of us first!"

Ratcliffe sneered. "That can be arranged."

Within a flash of a second, Ratcliffe swung his sword and struck Namine down onto the ground before grabbing a nearby rifle and aiming it at Powhatan. John managed to catch this out of the corner of his eye. He broke his embrace with Pocahontas and jumped towards Powhatan, pushing him out of the way as Ratcliffe fired the rifle towards them, hitting John instead of the chief. Kairi gasped as she watched him fall to the ground holding the side of his stomach. Pocahontas rushed forward and fell to the ground by his side. She felt her body freeze as she could also see Xion sprinting over to Namine to help her up.

Witnessing both of her friends in distress, Kairi curled her hand into a fist and clenched her jaw as she looked towards the sky and shouted in anguish. This was it. She had already lost enough and was tired of it. Kairi summoned her Keyblade and ran over to Xion and Namine as all three of them gathered in front of Ratcliffe, tightly gripping their Keyblades.

"This ends now!" Kairi yelled as the girls readied their battle stances. "You'll pay for this!"

"I'll teach you to mess with a public figure, you savage!

Kairi snickered. "You're right, I am savage, savage enough to get rid of a fat heartless rat like yourself!"

Ratcliffe held his hand out, causing the same winged serpent Heartless that Kairi fought the day before to materialize. This time, he was riding on the back of the snake's head. Kairi clenched her jaw as she recognized the creature based on its tail that once had the end pissing, but was now replaced by an end made of steel. Ratcliffe let out a loud battle cry as the serpent began charging towards the indians. The indians all fired their arrows at the creature. They either missed or didn't do any damage to it. Gasps elicited as they realized their weapons did no good, just as Kairi had warned them. Ratcliffe had the Heartless begin to lunge forward with the intention of slaughtering multiple warriors at once.

"SAVAGES!" Ratcliffe shouted.

"NO! STOP!"

Pocahontas ran in front of her tribe and held her arms out. The girls all gasped as they saw what appeared to be a wall of light form right behind her glowing body. Kairi studied the light that formed around Pocahontas and felt a familiar warmth inside her heart. _Pure light..._She muttered in her head. _Pocahontas...is a princess...a Princess of Heart. _Kairi smiled as the two of them made eye contact from a distance. She knew there was something special about Pocahontas, but couldn't put a finger on it. Now it all made sense.

"I'll take everyone of you out, starting with _you!_" Ratcliffe aimed his rifle at Pocahontas and shot towards her, the bullet reflecting off.

Kairi gasped at how easily his attack was bounced off. "Your light!"

"I have to protect my people!"

"Okay! We'll take care of him then!' Xion nodded affirmatively.

As the three girls took off charging towards Ratcliffe and the Heartless, Kairi held up her watch and scanned the enemy's data. The name was Winged Serpent. _Hmph, unoriginal name..._Kairi scoffed. Turned out she was spot on about the weak points being identical to a snake's. The three girls scattered to avoid Ratcliffe's gunshots. Kairi swung her Keyblade towards the back of the serpent's tail, hoping to do some critical damage, once again. Unfortunately, the iron tail was able to hold against her swings and countered by smacking Kairi across the field. She gasped as Ratcliffe aimed his rifle, only for Namine to shoot a Fire spell towards his arm, stopping his attack.

Kairi hurried up, grunting and holding her shoulder. Fighting this time around was much more difficult thanks to her injured shoulder. Despite her injury, Kairi continued to fight through the pain. She dodge rolled out of the way as the Winged Serpent lunged towards her, attempting to sink its fangs right into her. As the serpent's fangs got stuck into the ground, Xion charged toward it, ready to thrust her Keyblade right into its head. Ratcliffe hopped off the serpent and blocked Xion's attack with his own sword. While the serpent worked towards freeing itself, Ratcliffe and Xion clashes their blades against each other. Kairi dashed over and decided to take advantage of another weapon she had, her feet. She ran up the serpent's head and hopped up before drop kicking Ratcliffe to the ground.

"Nice boots, Kairi!" Xion laughed in amusement as Kairi stood on top of Ratcliffe, keeping his head face down.

"Thanks! Feet are a young woman's most underrated weapon!" She looked over towards the Winged Serpent and watch it finally free itself from the ground. "We better go after the Heartless before Namine becomes its dinner!"

Xion nodded in agreement as she followed Kairi towards the serpent. Namine was fighting one on one with it, trying to block its multiple jaw-snapping attacks. If it weren't for the durability of the Keyblade, the Heartless probably would've eaten her weapon by now. Namine cartwheeled back and cast a Fire spell, only for the creature to shake off the burning flames, as if it hardly did any damage. The Winged Serpent saw that Ratcliffe was back up and slithered towards him. He climbed aboard the Heartless and began to ride it again.

Ratcliffe let out a battle cry as the Heartless snapped towards the girls with him thrusting his sword towards them. Xion blocked the serpent's jaws while Kairi smacked her Keyblade towards Ratcliffe's sword, knocking it out of his hand. Namine attempted a Thunder spell only for the serpent's tail to knock her off her feet. She fell hard to the ground, distracting Kairi. She hurried over towards Namine to help her up only for the serpent to slither around and wrapped its body around the three girls, tightly trapping them.

"Caught in a savage trap, just as I expected from a few worthless females." Ratcliffe sneered as he aimed his rifle at the girls.

Xion grunted as she struggled through the serpent's tight grip. "Too...tight…"

"Namine…" Kairi choked out. "Touch...my wrist…."

"W-What?"

"Just do it!" Kairi breathed heavily, feeling herself suffocating. Namine fought through the grip of the serpent and rested her hand on top of the wrist where Kairi's watch rested. As she felt Namine's hand on top, Kairi shut her eyes, digging deep into her heart. "Genie...help...us...give me strength!" She finally yelled.

From Kairi's wrist, blue smoke formed and billowed around the girls and the enemy. Ratcliffe found himself distracted by the supernatural sight before him. From the smoke, Genie came flying out, unleashing a battle cry.

"YEEEAAAAHHHHH!" Genie exclaimed. "It's Genie time!" He cracked his knuckles and began shooting a number of magic spells toward both Ratcliffe and the Winged Serpent. A strong Thunder spell was enough to cause the serpent's grip to loosen and allow Kairi and the girls to escape its grip. Ratcliffe was thrown off the serpent by a Fire spell and desperately tried to put out his burning behind.

"Thanks Genie!" Kairi thanked him as she caught her breath.

"Anytime, friend! Now, who's ready for the _real _show?" Genie held out an arm, allowing Kairi to hop onto his shoulder. "Let's go, girlfriend! I've been waiting since Kingdom Hearts II to use this form again!" He suddenly shapeshifted and gained his own "Keyblade" and donned a turban and a vest.

Genie flew around the battlefield and allowed him and Kairi to both throw their Keyblades toward the Heartless. Ratcliffe had fled at this point, leaving only the Heartless to fight against Kairi and Genie. Their Keyblades continued to whirl towards Winged Serpent in sync and the two of them even started shooting off orbs of light towards its face. If Kairi could be honest, she'd never had this much fun fighting off a Heartless before. Genie always had a way of livening up the party. Between the powerful moves from the two of them, Winged Serpent started breathing heavily and moving along sluggishly.

"I think it's really weak now!" Kairi exclaimed.

"In that case, I think it's time for the finale!" Genie suddenly flew up higher and lifted Kairi up by her ankle. "You ready?" He asked.

Kairi nodded confidently. Genie charged up his arm before throwing Kairi back down, her body charging Keyblade first towards the Heartless. She fell towards it like meteor and aimed the tip of her blade towards the face.

Upon impact, the Keyblade thrust into the Heartless' head, causing a ray of light to emerge. Kairi landed on the ground and watched as the serpent flailed around before dematerializing. She smiled and flicked some hair behind her. Another one bit the dust in her mind, but all seemed well. Xion and Namine caught up with her and all three of them thanked Genie for his help before he disappeared back into Kairi's watch. Pocahontas was finally able to remove herself from the wall of light that she had created and all of her tribe was safe just as she wanted.

"Well, glad that's over with." Namine sighed in relief.

"I think a certain someone's time is up too." Kairi mentioned as she motioned over to Ratcliffe, who was being restrained and chained up by Thomas and the rest of the settlers. He looked over and smiled at the girls with a confident nod.

"So much for a _public figure_." Xion taunted.

Kairi nodded. "Time for him to go where the _real _rats belong."

"Girls!" Namine interrupted them, pointing to John, who was still lying on the ground surrounded by Pocahontas and Powhatan.

Namine was right. Although Ratcliffe and the Heartless had been defeated, John was still hurt and in a lot of pain.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

The next day, everyone seemed to be recuperated from the previous battle. Kairi's shoulder was still recovering, although actually hurt worse now after using it in battle. John had his wound patched up, but Thomas and the settlers decided he would have to go back home to London in order to get proper medical treatment. The sooner he left, the better chance he had at surviving.

After hearing this, Xion and Namine decided that it was best for them and Kairi to leave the world. Namine specifically knew where they could take her to have her injury treated. As much as Kairi didn't want to leave, especially since they still hadn't found her seashell, she knew it was for the best. Launchpad even got in touch with the girls the night before, letting them know that him and the chippers finally fixed up the ship and it was ready to resume flying as normal again. Now, there was no excuse to not keep moving along. Kairi felt like they could always come back and search for the seashell another day.

That morning, the settlers readied for the voyage back to London. John was about ready to go, but wanted to wait so he could say goodbye to Pocahontas one last time. The girls were also preparing themselves to go, but wanted to say goodbye as well. The three of them walked over to where John was lying down.

"You hanging in there, John?" Xion asked

John shrugged his shoulders. "What? This? Oh, I've been in worse than this. Can't think of any right now, but…"

Namine nodded. "We were wrong about you in the beginning, you have a big heart."

"A big heart that feels very familiar." Kairi said in agreement. "Keep adventuring, okay?"

"Of course. A little pain never stopped me." John jested.

"Where's Pocahontas?" Namine asked as her eyes scanned the area, knowing that she would want to say goodbye.

Xion pointed towards the woods. "Look guys!"

Everyone turned their heads to see Pocahontas leading the Powhatan tribe down to the coast, all carrying baskets of food. After setting down the food, she walked further than her tribe and towards John and the girls. The three of them stood up and walked back to join the indians and give the two of them a moment alone. Kairi knew from experience how hard this was for Pocahontas. The situation may have been somewhat different, but that didn't make it hurt any less. Regardless, separation wasn't easy.

For Kairi, she knew the pain all too well. A lump formed in her throat as she saw Pocahontas and John lock hands and gaze into each other's eyes. She could feel a single tear form in her eye and fall as she recalled the last time she gazed into Sora's eyes. His eyes were a mix of heartbreak and relief. Kairi could only hope that Pocahontas and John's goodbye wasn't eternal. Powhatan came up behind Kairi and placed a hand on her shoulder after taking notice of her emotional state.

"Chief, will Pocahontas and John ever meet again?" Kairi asked, her voice shaking.

Powhatan stared ahead as the wind blew through his hair. "If it is her heart's path, then they will."

After one final kiss, Pocahontas and John finally drifted apart. Kairi watched as their hands separated and Pocahontas brought hers to her chest, as if she couldn't bear to deal with the idea of John not being in her life anymore. Kairi finally moved forward and placed a hand on Pocahontas shoulder, who looked back with glassy eyes. No words could mend her broken heart, but Kairi still managed to give her a soft and reassuring smile. As if Pocahontas wasn't hurting enough already, a teleportation beam appeared right beside the girls. The three of them exchanged saddened looks with each other as their time to leave had arrived.

"Well Kairi, I think it's time for us to go too." Xion said with a low tone.

Kairi sighed and nodded. "Yeah, I think you're right. We never found that seashell, but maybe there isn't one here after all. I guess this is goodbye for now, Pocahontas."

Soka stepped forward with a large basket of food and set it at Namine's feet. Alawa helped carry it. "This is for you to take with you." Soka said with a soft smile.

"Thank you. This is very sweet of you." Kairi thanked them as she knelt down to their level.

"Can't you stay here?" Alawa asked.

"I'd love to stay. I love it here, but I'm afraid I can't. I live in a whole different world from this one, and I miss it. And my heart's path is leading me back there."

Soka ran forward and hugged Kairi with Alawa joining only seconds after. "We'll miss you!"

Kairi laughed softly as she ran her hands along the little girls' backs. "And I'll miss you, all of you. But just like how you needed me, there's someone else out there who needs me right now, but maybe we'll meet again someday." She pointed at each girl's chest. "Just don't ever forget, wherever you go, I'm always in your hearts."

Pocahontas stepped forward and helped Kairi off the ground. "Thank you, for everything." She said with a smile.

"This won't be goodbye forever." She said with a smile. "As soon as I can, I'll be back, and I'll bring Sora too." Meeko and Percy came scurrying towards her with Flit flying right behind them. "Hey boys! You gonna miss us?"

Xion knelt down and pet Percy on the head, messing up his hair a little. "You be a good boy, okay?" The pug whimpered as he nuzzled against her hand.

Flit flew over by her face and nuzzled Kairi on her cheek. "Stay your tough stubborn self, okay, Flit?" The little bird squeaked shyly. Kairi turned to Meeko, who had something in his mouth. He spit it out into his paw and held it out to her. She gasped as soon as, by the color and texture of the item, she realized what it was. "It's a piece of my lucky charm! You had it this whole time?" Meeko purred as he licked the top of her hand. "You crazy critter, you stay out of trouble!" She scratched under his chin.

"Oh, wait!" Namine pulled both girls together with her. "We have a little something for _you _Pocahontas!" She and Kairi looked to Xion, who pulled out the teal necklace Pocahontas had been wearing, now completely fixed like it was new. The trio held it out presenting it to the indian princess, who was moved with tears at her friends' kind gesture.

"My mother's necklace!" She gasped as she took the jewelry and placed it around her neck.

Powhatan stepped forward and stood next to his daughter, before pulling a deerskin blanket and wrapping it around Kairi. "You always reminded me of my daughter, and are always welcome among our people. Thank you, my sister."

Kairi bit down on her lip as she could feel tears forming from her butterfly-fluttering stomach. Other than her own family and friends, she had never felt so much love in another group of people that she had only known for a few days. It was making her goodbye all the more difficult to get through. Xion picked up the basket of food and with an affirmative nod from Namine, bid her final goodbye and began to lead the way to the ship. The two girls exchanged a confident nod with Thomas as he saluted them.

"You'll always be able to find me in your heart, Pocahontas. I'll always be just around the riverbend." Kairi said as she placed a hand over her heart.

"And so will Sora and I." Pocahontas nodded while smiling.

Kairi nodded and turned to begin walking back towards her ship. She stopped in her tracks, allowing tears to stream down her face and stain her cheeks. Allowing herself to get one last look at the tribe-no, the _family _that took her in during a time of need, Kairi turned and ran back to Pocahontas, the two of them sharing a sisterly embrace. Even a tear fell down Pocahontas' cheek. As if saying goodbye to the man she loved wasn't already difficult enough, now she was parting with a friend who had become like a little sister to her. Even Nakoma and Kocoum, two members who couldn't have cared less about Kairi when she first arrived, both felt heavy hearts at watching the two young heroines part their hug. Kocoum even managed to smile proudly towards her.

After parting, Kairi finally turned and began to briskly walk towards the teleportation beam that dropped, ready to transport her back into the ship. Pocahontas' heart started racing as she watched her sister step even farther away. As if the wind were guiding Kairi, it started to pick up, the leaves blowing in her direction. Just before she stepped into the beam, Kairi looked back to her brothers and sisters, and with a proud smile, she slowly waved her hand in a circle, the exact same way Pocahontas had showed her in the beginning when they first met. Once she had received one back from Pocahontas, Kairi stepped backwards and teleported out of the world and back onto the ship.

_**Pocahontas had showed me through her courage that she, too, possessed the same power I had within. It was the power to break through darkness, and to act as a light for others. It was in that moment that I knew what Grandmother Willow meant when she said to "listen with my heart". My heart knew the right path, and all I had to do was listen. To this day, I never forget what Pocahontas taught me: that we are all connected, when we paint with the colors of the wind.**_

* * *

**A/N: Another Disney world completed! Thanks everyone for the support for this fic so far! I also hope that little SoKai bit satisfied for now since this fic's been looking a bit...**_**dry**_** in terms of SoKai fuel lol**


	20. Restored Radiance

**A/N: I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since I last updated! Time needs to SLOW DOWN so I can get more chapters done! Yeesh!**

Chapter 20: Restored Radiance

Back in Grandmother Willow's grotto, Aros mumbled in pain as he remained face down against the damp ground. Had his helmet not been on, he most likely would've suffered some hard damage to his head thanks to how brutal Grandmother Willow was on him. The helmet also saved him from having a grass salad stuck in his mouth. Kaguya emerged from a dark portal and approached her wounded partner. She bent over and watched as Aros rolled over onto his back and sighed heavily.

"Do I wanna know what happened?" Kaguya asked.

Aros shook his head. "Nope...don't ask…Where have you been?"

"I was doing what you and the master wanted. I tried to go after Kairi and the Princess of Heart of this world, but I couldn't get close to either one. Their light...was overbearing. I felt weak just getting within view of them."

"I guess that's to be expected when you put two pure lights together…"

"Do you want some help at least?" She held out her hand toward the young man whose pride was only destroyed hours earlier.

"Sure…" Aros took Kaguya's hand, allowing her to help him up. "Thanks…"

"Aros, what happened?"

Aros sighed and shook his head. "The weirdest thing...I had these flashbacks...but they weren't even my memories."

Kaguya tilted her head to the side. "Oh? Whose were they?"

"I don't know..."

Aros and Kaguya both turned at the sound of a dark portal forming behind them. They shifted back slightly as Luxu emerged out. He had a look on his face that was unsettling to both of them. It was almost the same face that a parent would have that wasn't necessarily angry, but fake smiling with disappointment hiding behind it. Luxu's face darted between both of his cohorts before sighing heavily and shaking his head. He crossed his arms and slowly dragged his feet along the ground, as if an intimidating dictator was approaching the two of them. Luxu stopped in front of Kaguya, his eyes darting down at her and causing her legs to tremble. He only chuckled patted her on the head before glaring harshly at Aros.

"Guess I was right after all! You couldn't even finish off the girl!" Luxu jested.

Aros threw his arms up. "Master! Hey! You're looking sharp! You spend a day at the spa or something while I was getting eaten alive by bugs out here in the wilderness?"

"As if!" The sharpshooter paced around Aros and Kaguya. "I was too busy enjoying the show! That is...until it had a rather...disappointing ending."

"Master, Master, Master, ever heard of a little 'anticipation'? We can't simply just finish off Kairi right now? We wanna strip her down to her core, right? You wanna see her suffer, is that right? Because suffering is the easiest route to darkness, right?"

Luxu chuckled, a wide snicker curling on his face. "You have a good point there, Aros." His smile faded shortly after. "Too bad I'm not a good listener." Without warning, Luxu kicked Aros down to the ground. He summoned No Name and pointed it directly towards his chest. "Remember what's at stake here, Aros."

Aros grunted as he stared down at the ground. "Y-Yes...Master...I'm sorry."

"I'm not stupid. I know you couldn't bring yourself to harm that girl." Luxu turned to Kaguya, who kept her gaze fixated on Aros. "Seven here at least _tried_. Maybe I should have her train _you_ instead of the other way around."

"M-Master, I-" Kaguya objected.

"Seven, Seven, Seven, my dear. That's our goal, isn't it? We want you to become stronger, don't we? Well, look at you, you're already proving to be a much better pick than that idiot over there." He lowered his voice to a husky whisper and ran his hand along her back.

"You can't be serious?" Aros argued. "I screwed up once! Besides, I wasn't gonna finish off Kairi when she was helpless. That wouldn't have the same satisfaction." He stood back up and summoned his Keyblade. "The next time, she won't be so lucky." He muttered in a low tone.

Luxu laughed. "That's what I'm talkin' about! But, you did screw up once already. Screw up two more times and your time is up."

Kaguya softly gasped. "Master, what do you mean by 'time is up'?"

"You know what, don't you worry about that, you pretty little thing." Luxu placed a hand under the chin of Kaguya's helmet. "You're my lucky number seven after all."

"She has a name, you know?" Aros snapped as he crossed his arms. "It's Kaguya."

"Fine, call her whatever you want her to be." Luxu shrugged his shoulders. "It's not like I created her or nothing." He held up a hand and formed a dark portal. "I'll be going now. You be on your best behavior now and keep to it."

Aros clenched his jaw and curled his hand into a fist as he watched Luxu disappear from the grotto. He dismissed his Keyblade and groaned, pacing back and forth, kicking up blades of grass behind. Kaguya watched as he finally kicked a rock into the river, allowing it to skip and form large ripples on the surface. The cries of anguish caused her to step back, almost in fear that she would cause him to go off on her.

"Who does he think he is? I screwed up once and he just kicks me around like that?" Aros vented.

Kaguya sat on a boulder, her hand brushing against her knee. "I'm sorry…"

"It's fine, I can take it."

"Okay, then take it."

"What? What are you saying?" Aros asked, raising his voice.

Kaguya sighed and crossed her arms. "You said you could take it, so then do it. Don't say you can do something and then not do it."

"You're one to talk. Luxu says you're _so strong _and yet, you almost got taken down by Kairi!" Aros snapped back. Kaguya turned her face away, a painful pit forming in her stomach from his harsh comment.

"You don't know anything about me!" Kaguya yelled.

Aros sighed heavily before walking over and sitting on the boulder next to her. "Okay then, humor me. Tell me about yourself."

"Tell you _what?_"

"You know, _something_! Anything!"

Kaguya thought for a moment. "I have a Keyblade."

"No, no, no, I mean something I _don't _know about you." Aros explained, trying to be patient. He threw his arms behind his head and leaned against them. "Like...like...a secret."

"What's a secret?"

"A secret is something you know about yourself that nobody else knows. It's usually something scandalous or immoral, but considering you haven't been around long, it can't be anything extreme."

"A secret...about me…" Kaguya repeated to herself. "A secret…" She rested a hand under her chin while Aros focused on her helmet, waiting for her answer. "Master gave me something sweet to eat on my first day. He called it ice cream, and I really liked it. So, I like ice cream."

Aros perked up at the lovely combination of words. "Ice cream? That's a good start. What else do you like?"

Kaguya's face scanned the perimeter of the grotto until her eyes came across a bright yellow flower with five petals on it. "I like...flowers. There are a lot of them at the castle."

"What do you like about flowers?" Aros asked as he eyed the same flower.

"They're so...what do you call it when something looks different than everything else?"

"Unique?"

"Yes! That's why!" Kaguya smiled underneath her helmet. "Each flower looks unique. Each flower is different from another one."

Aros walked over to the flower and eyed it. The star shape that the flower formed from a bird's eye view hypnotized him. _That star...where have I seen this before? _He thought in his head. Aros knelt down and picked the flower that almost at a luminescent glow to it in the moonlight. If he could be honest, he had never seen anything so beautiful. He held the flower close to his face and observed it closely before walking back over and sitting next to Kaguya, who seemed to be following his every movement.

"You know, they say that in a patch of flowers, the one that blooms the latest ends up being the most beautiful." Aros muttered.

"Really?"

Aros nodded. "Yeah. So, don't be in a huge rush to impress the master."

"I'm not in a hurry. I'm just going along with it." Kaguya folded her hands together and looked away. "I don't have anywhere else to go."

"I see." Aros looked down at the flower and twisted it before holding it out to Kaguya. "Here, you can have this."

"M-me?" She looked down at the flower briefly before taking it.

"Yeah, you're the one who likes flowers. You'd get better use out of it than I would." He claimed as he stretched out his arms and legs.

Kaguya clutched the flower in her fingers. She couldn't help but smile and softly gasped from what could only be a strange new feeling inside. It was, for lack of a better term, warm. Kaguya turned and studied Aros' helmet while she scanned the immediate area where she was sitting. After scanning the area, her eyes lay on a small rock, one that was in the shape of a crescent moon. She finally bent down and picked it up, holding out to Aros.

"Here, you can have this."

"Huh?" Aros tilted his head to the side as Kaguya placed the rock in Aros' hand. "Why are you giving me this?"

"Because you're hard-headed like a rock."

"I am not!" He shot up and raised his voice. As Aros folded his arms like he was pouting, Kaguya turned her face away while a small laugh emerged from her. "What?"

Kaguya shook her head as she tapped the mouth of her helmet. "I'm sorry. You just look funny when you get angry."

"Oh…" Aros unfolded his arms and placed a hand at the back of his head. "Well, you'd be the first to say that." He shook his head and brushed past her, forming a dark portal. "Let's get out of here. Not a big woods-y guy anyway."

Kaguya finished laughing and straightened herself up as she followed Aros through the portal. For someone who didn't care about being Aros' partner before, she was quite surprised with herself with how much she actually started to care about his feelings. Whatever the reason, Kaguya knew it was probably too complicated for her own good if she didn't understand it initially.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"Are you sure I shouldn't drive?" Kairi asked.

"No! No! I've got this!" Namine assured as she squealed, barely avoiding an asteroid.

Namine ascended the ship up to avoid an asteroid before allowing it to suddenly descend, giving the girls a brief feeling of zero gravity. A field of meteors approached them and she gripped the analog, ready for sudden movements to avoid them. Kairi also suggested firing the lasers at the small meteorites to disintegrate them. Namine nodded and began pressing down on the laser button, saving her the trouble of having to avoid every tiny little meteorite. It was apparent based on Kairi holding her head while leaning back and Xion holding her stomach that Namine's flying was _less _than stellar.

Xion groaned. "Can we PLEASE land somewhere? I just ate some of that food the Powhatans gave us and I'd rather it NOT come right back up…" She burped, covering her mouth. "Seriously, Namine! Either land somewhere or let Kairi drive!" 

"She can't drive! She has to rest her shoulder!" After swerving the ship around a meteor, Namine pulled up the radar. "We're almost to Radiant Garden. We can go see The Restoration Committee! Aerith can take a look at Kairi's shoulder and maybe expedite the healing process since she's the one who taught me my healing magic."

"Wait, aren't you originally from Radiant Garden, Kairi?" Xion asked.

"Yeah, but…" She leaned back in her seat and stared outside. "I don't even remember much about it from my childhood, really. It seemed so different when I was last there, but I didn't really have a chance to soak it all in."

Xion nodded. "Yeah, you and Riku were on a mission."

Kairi's heart began to pound as her hand rested over it. "Even before that, the last time I saw it was in its fallen state, and after Sora had sacrificed his heart to restore mine. I can't even remember much from that. Everything was happening so quick. Within the flash of a second, my heart was back in its body, Sora had suddenly faded away, and I was teaming up with this talking duck and dog who claimed to be friends of Sora."

Namine sighed as she leaned back. "I remember that. Just as quickly as your heart was restored, my heart was born."

"And not too long after that, I came into the picture." Xion smiled softly. "We truly do owe our lives to Sora."

Kairi sighed softly as she pulled her lucky charm out of her pocket and assembled the next piece. "As long as we keep this up, we'll be able to pay him back as we want."

The ship approached Radiant Garden and Namine had Kairi take over to help with breaking through the stratosphere and landing. Thanks to a much smoother landing than the last world they visited, Kairi was able to park the ship out of sight and the teleporter was working as normal. Xion and Namine stepped onto the teleportation platform and within a flash, they were placed right in the middle of the central square of Radiant Garden's town. Kairi immediately gasped as she admired the medieval-inspired architecture that made up the town's homes and shops. It looked like an illustration out of one of her childhood storybooks. It made her wish she took the time when she last visited to take in her surroundings, but like Xion reminded her, she and Riku were in a hurry to try and find Sora and even after she woke up, Kairi was not in a mood to play "tourist" and explore Radiant Garden.

Namine guided Kairi and Xion through the streets of the town. She specifically was looking toward a particular small house at the corner. Kairi found herself looking up and all around during their stroll, almost like a child at Disneyland for the first time. She started peeking into doorways and windows of the various shops, wanting to check them out, but Xion and Namine kept on dragging her along, like parents trying to get their child to catch up to them. Could they blame her though? She couldn't remember anything aside from a select few memories and yet, it all felt so familiar.

Kairi marveled at the town's residents. They were all so different. The residents were made up of humans, creatures, and even hybrids. She gasped as a blonde-haired young man seemed to swing between light posts with his...tail? He seemed friendly considering he said hello and waved towards the girls. As Kairi watched him swing, she nearly walked into a very tall and very good-looking paladin who had long luscious silver hair. Her attention was drawn to the young blonde-haired woman who greeted him with his name, Cecil. It was a completely different environment from her island, and she wanted to know more.

_**As I walked the streets of Radiant Garden, something amazing happened. I suddenly took a look at all of the town's residents and it hit me. Everyone had their own story and for some reason, I wanted to know each and every one of them.**_

"Hello?" Kairi greeted as she opened the door to the small house.

Yuffie hopped to the front door. "You're back! We were wondering where you ran off to!"

"Just on a little adventure, that's all." Namine laughed.

Aerith stepped out from around the corner. "It's so good to see all of you!" She looked over at Kairi. "We were wondering how you were after we last saw you."

Yuffie leaned against Kairi's shoulder. "Yeah, between all the crazy stuff that happened to you the last couple years, we thought you'd be a mess right now.."

Kairi laughed sheepishly, brushing hair behind her ear. "Oh yeah, just a couple of kidnappings, some Keyblade training, death, you know, the usual stuff, but I've been hanging in there."

"I would comment on her making that sound so casual, but then again, I've been through it too, so I have no room to judge." Xion crossed her arms, sideying Namine.

"Who is this?" Yuffie asked, leaning closer to Xion. "I see someone's trying to steal the Kisaragi look!" She scoffed as she crossed her arms.

Namine shook her head and laughed. "No, that's our friend, Xion. It's kind of complicated to explain why she looks the way she does."

Aerith smiled and nodded. "That's okay. We can talk over tea. You girls look like you can use some rest." She guided the girls over to a small table that was set up for four.

"Especially this one." Xion said nudging Kairi forward. "She's had it worse than the rest of us."

"No worries! I have plenty of antidotes that we can use to make those wounds heal up in no time." Aerith stepped forward and eyed Kairi's shoulder after removing the bandage. "A gunshot, this is a little more severe, but I can still work with it. Which hand do you use your Keyblade with?"

"I'm right-handed."

"Then, I would recommend taking a few days off to rest and do some light physical therapy. You don't want to push yourself too much." Aerith suggested as everyone sat down and began fixing their cups of tea.

Kairi sighed as she pulled out her lucky charm. "We only have five pieces. I feel like we've barely scratched the surface on this."

"Don't worry, Kairi. We'll find all the pieces." Namine reassured her. "It's better that you rest. The farther we get, the tougher our enemies are gonna get."

Yuffie nodded, placing her hands on her hips. "She's right, you know? There's always some dude out there that has a beef with one of ya'll and then everything takes a nosedive the longer you're out there in the open!" She curled her hand into a fist after noticing an anxious look grow on Kairi's face. "But that's what we're here for!"

"That's right! By the way, where is Merlin?" Kairi asked. "And Fairy Godmother?"

"Merlin's been off in a completely different world, training some young kid to be king or something, so Aerith and I have been charged with housesitting. Who knows where the Fairy G is. I swear she just pops up when it's most convenient. Cid was supposed to help out with housesitting, but instead, he decides to take off and test out a new Gummi ship blueprint! Jerk..."

"I hope this kid's not a Keyblade wielder." Kairi muttered as she sipped her tea. "I love Merlin to death, but I feel like my training with him didn't do much good. I got everyone into trouble just the same as I would've had I not been trained."

Aerith frowned slightly. "Merlin may not know much about Keyblades, but he meant well. Plus...he specifically asked Master Yen Sid to train you."

"Wha…? He _asked _to train me? But why?"

"I'm afraid it isn't my place to say." Aerith shook her head. "But...it was a very personal reason to him."

"Wow…" Kairi stared down into her tea. "I know I wish I was better trained for the Keyblade War, but now, I feel bad for being so harsh."

Xion rested a hand on her back. "Hey, you didn't know. Don't be so hard on yourself."

Kairi shrugged her shoulders and poured some cream into her peach-flavored tea. As she began to sip it, she looked ahead and saw someone else enter the house. Judging by the leather short-sleeved jacket, scar across his face, and the brown hair that was now cut instead of hanging past his shoulder, Kairi knew exactly who it was and nearly spit out her tea. He was just as shocked to see her there based on how his pupils dilated and his jaw hung slightly open as the two made eye contact.

"Leon!"

"Kairi," Leon chuckled. "Not gonna lie, you were the last person I expected to see here."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kairi asked crossing her arms.

"Considering what happened here a long time ago, and the fact that you slept here for a year straight, I thought you'd avoid this place like the plague."

"My past…?" Kairi muttered softly. Xion and Namine both looked at her as if they already knew what had occurred during her past life. "It's...still a little foggy for me…"

"Fair. So, what brings you here? Any news about Sora?"

Kairi sighed and leaned against the wall. "Well, we found a possible clue, the shattered pieces of a lucky charm that Sora and I used to exchange. We're working towards finding the missing pieces, and maybe the charm will guide us to him. It might sound crazy, but it also just might be the key."

Leon crossed his arms, keeping a serious look. "If it means getting our friend back, we'll do what we can to help. Anything is better than nothing." 

"Great!"

Yuffie hopped over by Leon. "You actually arrived here in the knick of time, Leon! I was gonna suggest we train these ladies!"

"Train?" All three of them asked.

"It's like I said, the longer you're on this journey, the tougher enemies you're gonna face. And, no offense, but with your lack of experience, all three of you could benefit from learning some techniques from all three of us!"

The three girls looked at each other before Namine finally shrugged her shoulders and responded to the offer. "I guess some training wouldn't hurt, especially in my case. I still feel like my Keyblade wielding isn't what it should be."

Xion nodded, summoning her Keyblade. "I definitely feel like I can do more if I learn more advanced combat techniques."

"And considering I went a full year without using my Keyblade once, and I keep getting injured in these worlds, I could use some refresher training." Kairi agreed.

"Then it's settled! This is great!" Aerith said happily with a wide smile.

Leon rolled his eyes and grew a cocky smile. "And who pray tell is gonna help train? I know Cloud isn't gonna do it. He's got his own business to deal with."

"Wait...Cloud is still here?" Kairi asked, her heart skipping a beat.

"He sure is." Aerith said happily.

Yuffie shrugged her shoulders. "But good luck getting him to stay put in one place. He's always on the go, as always…"

"I guess that leaves me to be the third then." Leon scoffed. "In the meantime, you three should rest tonight. We can start some training tomorrow."

Namine smiled widely. "Great!" She accidentally knocked her used napkin onto the ground. "Oh, sorry about that!"

From the back of the house, a cubic robot cruised right along towards the table. The sounds of metal parts shifting among each other grabbed the girls' attentions. Namine smiled widely and laughed as she watched robot approach the dropped napkin. A few simple robotic sounds came from the bot as the cubic compartment that made up his body opened up. He extended his arm and scooped the napkin right inside. Kairi looked inside and saw that there was a bunch of trashed already inside. Once the compartment closed up, the robot vibrated before spitting out a solid cube made up from the garbage inside of his body.

"Tada!" He presented the cube of garbage to the girls.

"Whoa! What is this thing?" Kairi asked.

"Meet Wall-E!" Yuffie introduced the robot. "A Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-class robot" Everyone stared at her blankly. "He cleans up garbage…"

"Oh!" Xion watched as the robot's eyes looked into hers. "Hello there!" She greeted.

"W-Wall-E!"

"Xion!"

"Kairi!"

"Pretty neat, huh? Now we'll never have to worry about Radiant Garden getting trashed ever again!" Yuffie boasted.

"But… that's one robot. Isn't Radiant Garden this huge place?" Xion asked.

"Follow me." Leon motioned for the girls to follow him out of the house.

Namine giggled as the three of them followed. "Isn't he the cutest robot ever?"

Leon led the girls up several sets of stairs and up to a high point in the town that had a good view of the central square. He pointed down and allowed Kairi and Xion to lean against the stone wall and look down. Throughout the square, there were other robots that looked identical to Wall-E that were casually strolling along, eyeing the area for waste. One in particular came across what looked like the stick of an ice cream bar and scooped it into its compartment.

"There's robots everywhere!" Kairi marveled at the mechanical creatures

Leon nodded. "We spent all this time restoring Radiant Garden to the world it once was and then some. We want to keep it that way, but it's impossible for us to keep on top of things all the time, especially with the news of the Heartless returning."

Xion tilted her head. "You know about that?"

"We received a visit from King Mickey very recently. He's looking into investigating why the Heartless are returning."

Kairi nodded. "Riku and Aqua are with him too."

"Good, those three can always count on each other when needed." Leon pointed to a white robot that was soaring through the air. "That one is special. Ansem the Wise poured his heart and soul into her more than the others. She's an Extraterrestrial Vegetation Evaluator."

"Huh?" Kairi and Xion asked.

Namine giggled. "We call her Eve for short! She's very important in maintaining the vegetation here! She makes sure our plant life stays healthy so that life can be maintained here in Radiant Garden."

Xion placed her hands on her hips. "You're acting like you know this robot really well."

"Well, I did sit with Ansem in the lab during most of her construction. The idea of a robot taking care of plants was so intriguing to me and I couldn't wait to meet her when she was finished."

While observing the robots, a Soldier Heartless appeared and began to approach Eve.

"A Heartless!" Kairi gasped as she summoned her Keyblade, only for Namine to grip her weapon and hold it.

"No, no, no, watch this!"

Eve suddenly turned around and shot at the Heartless, taking it out in one shot. One of the waste robots came strolling about and scooped up the dust from the ground. Eve simply dismissed her blaster and continued on her way.

"Wow…" Kairi gasped.

Xion crossed her arms. "That makes our Keyblades look kinda pathetic when you think about it."

Leon scoffed. "In your defense, you're human while Eve is a robot. Besides, the robots are far from perfect and some of the folks here in the town aren't too keen on the new technology, especially when there's an occasional glitch or problem with the primary signal that activates all of the robots. Cid's been practically living in Ansem's lab helping keep track of the technology. Eve was specially crafted though, so she doesn't rely on the same signal, but Tron does a relatively good job keeping everything under control in the datascape. Still, even with all of this, some still aren't happy."

"Why not?" Xion asked.

"Let's head into the marketplace, I'll explain everything on the way."

**As Leon explained everything to us that day, it was strange, but I felt like I knew exactly what he was talking about. It was like I started to actually remember stuff from my youth. Was that really all it took for my memories to return to me? A simple reminder? If it was that simple, then why were they so lost in the dark for so long? Sure, it was probably for the best that I had a fresh start on Destiny Islands, but at the same time, I felt like a part of me was missing for so long.**

"Basically the short and sweet answer is that various residents here worry about technology replacing mankind, which is not the intent at all. It's only meant to _enhance _life, not completely change it." Leon explained as everyone strolled through the marketplace.

Kairi sighed and hid her arms behind her back. "I understand what you're saying, Leon. Destiny Islands isn't really big on the technology either. We don't have computers or Internet. But, we make it work." She stared up at the sky that billowing clouds floated across. "I kinda like it that way, personally. It only brings us closer to our loved ones since we're not distracted by artificial intelligence for a social experience."

Namine couldn't help but laugh. "Kairi, for someone who hasn't grown up with all of the technological stuff, you seem to know quite a bit."

"Hmm...you're right…" The redhead muttered as she stared at the ground. "For some reason, I can easily recall that, but my memories of this place are still fuzzy…"

Xion stretched out her arms and looked around. "It's a shame. This place is beautiful. The town looks like something out of a fairytale."

"Radiant Garden truly is a special world, and has had quite a history to it. For ten years, it was lost to the darkness, but we managed to restore it back to what it once was in the span of two years." Leon explained as he cracked a weak smile. "Speaking of fairytales, I think you girls may wanna swing by here a few times."

Leon opened the door to what looked like a blacksmith's shop. All along the walls were various weapons, both new and old, refreshed and beaten up, big and small. While Kairi had been around Keyblades and toy swords thanks to growing up and being around Sora and Riku, some of the larger weapons like swords, crossbows, and spears, she wasn't familiar with. All three girls hurried into the shop and found themselves distracted by the weaponry. Kairi was especially distracted by the Keyblades that were on display. They all looked so completely different from hers.

"WHOA! There's Keyblades here!" Kairi exclaimed. "Look! Swords, shields, and staves!"

"Oh my." Xion added in for amusement.

Leon chuckled. "Easy there. Those are real weapons." He put a hand to his chin. "I wonder if the owner is in…"

Namine gasped. "I love Sir Stiltzkin! He's such a sweetheart!" She exclaimed, clapping her hands together.

"Sir Stiltzkin? The name sure sounds interesting." Xion snickered while crossing her arms. "Whoever runs this place sure knows his way around weaponry."

"He sure does, kupo!" A high-pitched male's voice called out from a back room. From behind the half-open door, a small cream-colored cat-like creature flew in using his purple bat wings. Kairi and Xion watched in awe as the little creature directed another cat-like critter, this time one that was about a meter tall and looked more similar to a lion than a domestic cat. "Easy does it, Lucy! The owner will not be happy if he sees that my moomba apprentice scratched his Keyblade!"

The moomba rolled her eyes. "I'm trying to be as careful as possible, Master." She sighed heavily. "Why am I carrying this when you know my claws scratch metal easily?"

"Because, if you're gonna be a Keyblade Master one day, you have to learn to handle 'em, Lucy! Besides, I'm a moogle! I can only move these things around so fast with my tiny little body and my tiny little wings." He directed Lucy to place the Keyblade on a large wooden table off to the side. "There!" The moogle finally turned his attention to the guests that were in the shop. "My apologies, kupo! My name is Stiltzkin! That over there is my apprentice, Lucy. Namine! I was wondering where my lunchtime companion had gone off to!"

Namine giggled and held her hands out to Stiltzkin. "It's good to see you again!"

Stiltzkin turned to Kairi and Xion while scratching his chin. "And you are…?"

"This is Xion, and I'm Kairi-"

"Kairi?" Stiltzkin gasped loudly before he bounced along the room. He laughed loudly before flying into her arms. "I can't believe it's really you! After over a decade, you've finally returned!"

"Wha…?"

"Don't tell me you forgot! Your grandmother always used to walk by my shop when you were really little! You were always so intrigued by my weapons and you used to play with Lucy too!"

Lucy stepped closer and smiled widely. "I can't believe how grown up you are! You grew up faster than I did!"

Kairi softly gasped before stepping back. She rested a hand over her racing heart. "I'm...really sorry, but my memories of this place are _really _hazy still."

"Don't be so hard on yourself." Leon said sympathetically. "You've been through just as much as the rest of us, if not more." 

"Yeah, no worries!" Stiltzkin nodded. "I'm sure your memories will come back to you eventually. We're just glad you're home safely now."

"By the way, Stiltzkin, you're not gonna believe this, but…" Namine held out her hand and summoned her Keyblade.

Lucy marveled as she stepped closer towards the girls. "Whoa...you have a Keyblade too?" She asked. Namine nodded and gave it a good swing. "Master, if Namine can be trained, why can't I?"

Stiltzkin rolled his head. "Because, it takes a lot to become a Keyblade Master, and you're just not ready! You're still young!"

"But I'm already 75 years old!"

Kairi's eyes bulged until they looked like they were about to pop out. "I...think she's old enough, Stiltzkin."

"That's only 15 in moomba years. One moomba year equals five human years." Stiltzkin explained.

"But...I'm 16. And Namine and Xion here, well…" Kairi scratched her head, trying to figure out how age was factored into them. "Uh...never mind, we'll just leave it at that."

Lucy dropped to her knees. "Please, Master! Please let me be trained! I'm ready!"

"Yeah, come on, let her get trained." Kairi vouched. "She already has the passion and her heart seems to be into it."

Stiltzkin sighed heavily. "If you can successfully forge this Keyblade here on the table without me needing to correct you, then I'll look into a trainer for you."

"Oh, thank you, Master!" Lucy hopped up and cheered, clapping her paws together. "You won't be disappointed!" She dashed on all fours over to the table and began fiddling with tools and flipping through a large book.

"So, you mentioned Keyblade forging?" Xion asked.

Lucy nodded. "Over here at the shop, the master and I take various materials and use them to upgrade wielders' Keyblades, especially if they've been used for some time, they tend to wear out over time just like any other weapon."

Kairi summoned Destiny's Embrace and looked it over, noticing the scratches, dulling of the blade's teeth, and the dent from when she blocked Powhatan's attack. They weren't super dull, but they were definitely due for a sharpening.

"I never thought about that. Keyblades are special, but at the end of the day, they're still weapons." Kairi said as she gazed at the rest of the Keyblades that hung on the wall.

"Yes, kupo! I take pride in assuring that those that are defending my home are armed with the most powerful weapons of all!" Stiltzkin saluted. "Each Keyblade is unique. Not one person wields the same weapon, even if they hold the same appearance." He flew around Kairi's Keyblade and examined it. "Hmm, I'd say your Keyblade could definitely go for a cleanup! How about you two?" He asked, looking at Namine and Xion. Both girls held out their Keyblades for examination. "Yep, these definitely could use some cleaning. You three have been busy, haven't you, kupo?"

Xion laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of her head. "Yeah...we've been to a few places…"

Stiltzkin chuckled and shook his head. "No worries, kupo. You three leave these here, and we'll clean them up for you and sharpen them. We'll even have them done by sundown. I recommend while you're out 'venturing that you keep an eye out for materials out there. Bring them back and we'll use them to upgrade your Keyblades."

"Sounds fair to me." Kairi said shrugging her shoulders. All three girls set their Keyblades down on another wooden table that was over by the shop's window. "By the way, for sheer curiosity's sake, whose Keyblade are you working on?" She asked, looking over at Lucy.

Lucy sighed, her eyes dilating with a bright sparkle to them. "This Keyblade belongs to a _real _master. His name is Terra…"

"TERRA?" All three girls asked in unison.

"He's so handsome! He's got these eyes, such luscious hair, his smile, and his voice is just so tender…" Kairi exchanged an amused look with Xion and Namine, who couldn't help but giggle with her at the innocent crush. "And he has...such a tragic backstory…" Lucy sighed as she leaned against the table and stared up at the ceiling.

"Hey!" Stiltzkin clapped his hands right by Lucy's ear. "Enough with the fantasizing or that's gonna be your final fantasy!"

"Sorry! I'm working!"

Kairi put a hand under her chin. "Hmm if Terra was here, then means...wait! Leon, you haven't seen Ven anywhere, right?"

Leon crossed his arms and shook his head. "Aqua is the only one of the trio that I've seen recently when Riku and the king were here. Terra must've popped in and out of here. Aqua did mention he's searching for Ven, so I guess his Keyblade got damaged in the Realm of Darkness and brought it here to get it fixed, but I haven't seen Ven anywhere."

Namine sighed of disappointment. "Well, maybe we're bound to see him later on."

"Maybe. In the meantime, take the time you'd like to explore the place and rest up. Namine, you'll eventually wanna take Kairi and Xion to the palace and have them stay in a couple of the guest rooms."

"You got it, Leon!"

Just as they had begun to leave the shop, the door opened and a handsome young man with neatly-tied silver hair walked in, nearly smacking Kairi in the face with the door. She stumbled back and nearly tripped over a piece of wood that stuck out. The young man reached forward and gently grabbed her by the wrist, saving Kairi from falling back on her boney behind once again.

"Oh! Sorry! Had a clumsy moment!" Kairi laughed sheepishly.

"Oh, there's nothing to apologize for, my lady. Any man would be lucky to have such a beautiful angel fall into his arms such as you." The young man smiled warmly and shook his head.

"ANGELO!" A red-haired young woman approached him and Kairi from outside. "What are you doing?"

"Jessica, I'm just simply helping doing the gentleman thing and helping a damsel." Angelo shrugged his shoulders.

"Excuse me!" Kairi scrambled and stood up straight. "I am NOT a damsel!"

Jessica groaned and began yanking him by the ear. "You'll have to excuse him for his big mouth and the fact that he can't keep his eyes off a single girl." She yanked him past the girls and over to Stiltzkin's desk. "Please excuse us."

"Huh…" Xion followed the other girls out and shut the door leaving Jessica and Angelo behind. "Is it just me, or does he remind you of Riku?"

"Kinda...except for Riku can't flirt to save his life…" Kairi scratched her head.

Before heading to the palace to get settled into their rooms, the girls decided to take up Leon's offer and explore the town. Namine and Xion were hungry and eager to eat at Namine's favorite little cafe, but Kairi was too distracted by her surroundings to have an appetite and chose to meet up with them later. The buildings all felt so familiar to her and yet, also felt brand new, like nothing she had ever seen before. She took a stroll down the streets of the marketplace and allowed her eyes to feast on the various sights and sounds. Kids ran and played, various warriors sat by the fountain with their weapons, moogles hovered about carrying various materials in their arms. It was happening.

The armor shop caught Kairi's attention. She walked inside and took a look at the different accessories. There where helmets, gauntlets, breast plates, anything that a warrior running off on a dangerous mission could need to protect themselves. Kairi grunted as she ran a hand along her shoulder. The sooner her shoulder could heal, the better. She realized that the palm of her hand was starting to sting as well and took a look at both of them. They were covered in blisters, some fresher than others. Kairi sighed and looked around the armor shop hoping to find some gloves. Thanks to the shop owner, Dewey, who also happened to be Scrooge and Donald's nephew, Kairi managed to find a pair that were not only gloves, but also wrist guards that resembled the ones Sora wore and were even color coordinated with their pink and black design.

After paying for the wrist guards and slipping them on, Kairi thanked Dewey for his help and walked back out, feeling better about her wrists not being stressed out as much anymore. Her attention was taken up by some dandelions that flew in her direction. One flew towards her and landed right in her hand. She laughed softly before it flew away in the opposite direction, out towards what was once the great maw, but now it was a beautiful field that was a treat to Kairi's eyes thanks to its fresh green grass and the sound of a waterfall crashing in the distance. Unable to contain a smile from the feeling of stepping into a painting, Kairi ran into the field and towards a hill. She went up to the top of the hill and overlooked the fields, rotating around completely and being surrounded by dandelions. It was the most amazing sight she had ever seen.

Kairi's daydream was interrupted by the sound of someone shuffling in the grass. She looked over and saw a young man with a familiar hairstyle, only it was blonde. She softly gasped at the realization of who it was. While her memories of Radiant Garden were very fuzzy, there were few that she could remember, and as she got older, Kairi could only remember a select few memories. She thought back to her early years and how much she admired this young man, to the point of a childish crush. How much had he changed over the years? Would he remember her? There was only one way to find out.

"C-Cloud…?" Kairi muttered his name softly, but loud enough to garner his attention.

"Kairi?" Cloud watched as she stepped closer to him. "You've grown…"

"Yeah, so have you."

"So, what made you come back?"

Kairi sighed and took a seat next to him. "Namine brought me here so I could have an injury tended and cared for."

"Aerith?" He asked, earning a nod from Kairi. "She's always looking out for everyone, even me."

"Of course, why wouldn't she?"

Cloud sighed as he looked out toward the distance. "For many years, I've continued to run."

"From what?"

"The darkness."

Kairi softly gasped. "You're searching for your light?"

"I've seen the light, and I've felt it. Now, I'm searching for the strength to protect it."

"I'm searching too." Kairi sighed as she looked out towards the distance. "I'm searching for the same inner strength that someone special has seen within me."

Cloud chuckled. "Sora?"

"How do you-" 

"We had the same talk two years ago. He was searching for 'his light'. Good to know he found it."

"Well, you'll find the strength to protect your light." Kairi giggled softly. "I have a friend who eventually found the strength to protect what matters. He conquered so much. If he can do it, so can you. Especially if you haven't changed much in the last ten-ish years."

"You've changed, that's for sure." Cloud said, a tone of affection in his voice. "Yet, I look at you, and I still see the same little girl who always used to pick flowers for me, and then I'd kiss her on the hand and she'd run away squealing."

"Uh...let's _not _talk about that…" She blushed furiously and brushed hair behind her ear. "Of all the memories I didn't retain, I'm glad I didn't forget you, Cloud."

Cloud chuckled and stood up, holding a hand out to her. "You ever ridden a chocobo before?"

Tilting her head to the side, Kairi took Cloud's hand and he helped her up from her sitting position on the ground. The hill happened to overlook a ranch that contained large birds of various colors. The majority of them were yellow while a select few varied from black to red to blue to green. Cloud walked Kairi down the hill and over to the ranch. She couldn't help but softly squeal at how beautiful the chocobos were, especially the babies, and there were quite a few.

"Whoa! I remember these!" Kairi laughed as she eyed one of the large birds, specifically a golden yellow chocobo that had a white spot on her forehead. "Who is that one?"

Cloud approached the pen. The chocobo began scrambling and thrashing about, cawing loudly. "This one is Koko. She's...a bit problematic. She has distanced herself from the rest of the chocobos ever since our world was restored from the darkness. She also refuses to let anyone else ride her."

"Koko…" Kairi repeated her name softly.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

_It was September 17, and Kairi's 4th birthday. The day had already been a very eventful one thanks to the celebration that was held in the palace courtyard for her and the few friends she had. Naturally for any child, the presents were the best part, but her grandma had a special present in mind. Kairi and her grandmother walked in a more open part of the courtyard as the sun began to set on the day. The curious Kairi stared ahead and saw there was a golden baby chocobo nestled right underneath a large tree. She gasped and began to hide behind her grandmother's leg as the chocobo made eye contact with her and began to trot over towards the two of them._

"_Kairi, this is Koko." Kairi's grandma introduced the two. "She's going to be all yours when you get much bigger!" She nudged her granddaughter forward. "Don't be scared. She only wants to be your friend."_

"_O-okay…" _

_Kairi hesitated before holding out her hand, palm facing forward. Koko leaned her face forward, causing Kairi to wince and turn her face away. With her eyes shut, she anxiously waited for the bird to make contact. After a few seconds, Kairi felt the soft feathers brush against her hand. She gasped as she opened her eyes and saw the baby chocobo looking at her with bright pupils and chirped. Kairi smiled and laughed as she began rubbing Koko in her side. She began chirping repeatedly and bouncing up and down in place before finally nuzzling her face against Kairi's._

"_Koko! That tickles!" Kairi laughed as she hugged Koko's large head. "Can't I ride her now, Grandma?"_

_Kairi's grandma chuckled. "I'm afraid you're too little right now, but chocobos establish strong bonds with each other, including their riders, so we always introduce them when they're little. You'll be able to ride her as much as you want when you both get bigger."_

"_You hear that, Koko? When I get big, we're gonna ride together every day!" _

_Koko cawed happily and flew up briefly. She began chasing Kairi around in the fields as the autumn winds blew flowers leaves and flowers around them. Much to both of their dismay, this would be the extent of their interactions, for Kairi and Koko would be separated for over a decade. One of them didn't remember a single thing about the other while Koko had no idea whether Kairi was a live or not during that entire time._

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

"It's you…" Kairi whispered as she watched the chocobo calm down after locking eyes with her. "Cloud, open up her pen."

"What?"

"Please, trust me on this."

Although Cloud hesitated at first, he finally opened the pen, giving Kairi access to go inside. Koko backed up towards the very back of the pen and began cawing with her eyes narrowed. Kairi began to tremble as she leaned in towards the pen and held a hand out. Her face remained neutral and her eyes remained soft as they stayed locked with the large bird's.

"Hey, it's okay, girl." Kairi softly cooed. Koko shuffled in place while shaking her wings out. "Don't worry, I'm not coming in. See? I'm stepping out, right now." She began to carefully step backwards, giving Koko more space.

"Kairi?" Cloud asked, unsure of what she was doing.

"It's okay, Cloud. I've got this." Kairi continued to hold her hand out and watched as Koko began to slowly make her way across the pen and into the open area. Every other step, she hesitated and Kairi waited patiently, keeping her hand out. Once Koko was out, Kairi sighed in relief. "Okay, that's a good girl." She whispered.

Kairi kept her eyes locked with Koko's as she slipped her wrist guard off and began to reach her hand out even further. Koko winced and brought her head back, cawing at Kairi. Deciding the best idea was to keep her distance, Kairi planted her feet in the ground and held herself. She turned her face away and closed her eyes, taking away any pressure the chocobo might've felt. Koko stared at Kairi's hand before she finally closed her eyes and pressed her forehead against the palm. Kairi softly gasped as she felt the feathers brush against her. She opened her eyes and finally met them once again with Koko's. The two held intense eye contact as Koko leaned her face even more, nuzzling it against Kairi's.

"Koko...I'm home…" Kairi softly said as she wrapped her arms around Koko's neck and hugged her tightly.

Cloud's jaw hung open as he watched the reunion. "How...how is this possible?"

"Because Cloud, I'm her rider. Isn't that right, Koko?" Kairi laughed as Koko leapt up and down flapping her wings and cawing happily. "You've gotten so big!"

"Well what do you know?" Cloud chuckled.

Kairi began rubbing the sides of Koko before the bird suddenly slid her head between her legs, causing her slide right onto Koko's back. "Whoa! Hang on girl!' Koko cawed happily as she took off running into the field. "Koko! Wait! I don't know how to ride a chocobo!"

It was too late. Koko had already taken off sprinting, almost as if the bird had been holding in a decade's worth of energy and was ready to release it. Kairi had no choice but to hold on the back of Koko. She gripped as hard as she could, hoping that the lack of saddle wouldn't cause her to fall off instantly. Once Kairi found a good balance on Koko's back, she finally sat up straight, allowing the wind to blow through her hair. She looked down and saw the ground passing by her faster than she could even keep up with. She smiled widely as she leaned forward, hanging tightly and embracing what else Radiant Garden's great field had in store for her.

Koko suddenly took a turn and ran into the woods that had grown along the ravine trail. Kairi stammered with unease as she wasn't sure if it was a good idea considering all of the trees that were in the way and could potentially smack her off. Lucky for her, Koko was very agile and dodged trees and shrubs that got in their way, whether by sidestepping or jumping. Kairi rubbed Koko on the side of her neck, praising her. She stared up ahead as Koko ran towards an opening in the woods. Light peeked through the opening, guiding the two of them out. Kairi's jaw dropped as she and Koko overlooked the fields from the top of a waterfall.

"Wow…" Kairi sighed, marveling at the town that the waterfall overlooked. "You just don't always get views like this." Her eyes scanned the majestic view and watched as flower petals floated among the wind towards her. She caught a petal in her hand before allowing it to float away immediately far from her. Kairi sighed and inhaled deeply before she felt Koko back up. "Uh...Koko?" She asked. Koko only continued to step back while focusing up ahead. "Koko? What're you doing?" Suddenly, Koko cawed and began running forward. "Koko! Koko! What're you-"

Before Kairi had a chance to ask, Koko leapt off the edge of the waterfall and began to nosedive down towards the river. Kairi screamed as they got closer to the ground only for Koko to spread her wings and take off soaring, her feet splashing against the surface of the river and causing mist to form. Kairi held on tight and darted her eyes around as Koko flapped her wings and took them higher. The river started getting smaller and smaller until it just looked like a thin line of blue. Kairi smiled and looked up as Koko appeared to be flying into the clouds that looked like giant cotton balls.

"Higher!" Kairi yelled out enthusiastically.

Koko cawed before flapping her wings and taking herself and Kairi at an even higher altitude. Kairi almost wondered if they were going to fly past the stratosphere that separated their world from the lanes-in-between. She squealed as Koko bucked her off her back and then caught her with her talons. Kairi sighed in relief as she looked up at her chocobo, who looked down and cawed with affection towards her. She cawed back (horribly) before Koko began to tickle her in the side with one of her claws. As if the flight couldn't get anymore thrilling, Koko began to descend, throwing Kairi back up and having her land right back on her back.

Kairi sighed and hugged Koko's head from behind as she looked down and got a good look at the town from above. It looked like a children's playset from how high up she was. The 199-foot palace that overlooked provided the best view of both the town and the field. Koko flew up and around the spire of the tallest tower of the palace before balancing herself at the very top. Kairi inhaled deeply as she felt her heart racing and melting at the same time. She shut her eyes and rested her hand over her chest as her eyes travelled along the streets of the town.

Back in the fields, Koko finally safely landed on top of a tall hill. Kairi sat down with her knees brought to her chest while Koko nestled down next to her. She grabbed a couple of apples from the trees and fed one to Koko while she munched on the other one. The sun had begun setting and cast an orange and purple glow on the grass. It was a busy day for Kairi and she was already starting to feel worn out. She leaned against Koko, who spread out her wing and wrapped it around Kairi protectively like a mother eagle protecting her chick.

As Kairi began to grow sleepy, a peculiar sound woke her up and grabbed Koko's attention, causing her to jerk her head around like a deer in the headlights. Kairi listened for the sound and realized that it was somewhat of a low-pitched squeak. It didn't belong to a mouse, but definitely a smaller creature. Normally Kairi was one to let it go, but realized that the squeaking sounded on the distressed side. She grew curious and stood up, hoping to get a glimpse at where the squeaking was coming from. The squeaking echoed from a little further down the hill and Kairi stepped forward, noticing a cat-like creature hopping up and down.

"Hey! Hello!" Kairi waved the little creature over towards her. He squeaked and hopped over to her. Kairi gasped when noticed it was Chirithy! She knelt down to his level. "Chirithy! What're you doing all the way out here?"

Chirithy shook his head. "I need help! You know about Ven and how he went missing, right?" He asked, Kairi nodding in response. Well, I found Ven, but he is unconscious and hurt and needs help!"

"Oh! Show me the way! I'll see what I can do!"

Kairi hopped on top of Koko and lightly kicked her in the sides to get her going. She followed Chirithy further into the field towards a deep forest. It was definitely a more unfamiliar area of the field and reminded Kairi of the forest in Twilight Town. Even Chirithy had a tough time remembering which way he came from. Thank goodness for Koko having a strong sense of smell despite being a bird. She stuck her head to the ground and began trying to pick up a human scent, which she was successful.

With the scent locked in, Koko took off running deeper into the forest with Chirithy hanging onto her by the scruff of her neck. It wasn't much farther until Koko came to a stop. Kairi looked ahead and saw someone lying face down on the ground. She noticed the color and style of his hair and instantly recognized who it was supposed to be.

"Ven!" Kairi cried out his name as she hopped off of Koko and ran over to him. She knelt down and began to cradle the unconscious Keyblade wielder in her arms. "Come on, Ven! Open your eyes!" She lightly shook him.

"I tried that already! It didn't work!"

"Hmm…I might be better off taking him back to the town to see Aerith. She can take a look at his wounds. In the meantime…" Kairi summoned her Keyblade and cast Cure on Ven, hoping it would at least wake him up.

Ven stirred slightly, his eyes flickering open. "K-Kairi?"

"Ven!"

"Whoa!" He shot up, almost too fast. Feeling dizzy immediately, Ven started holding his head, moaning in pain and discomfort.

Kairi couldn't help but laugh. "You okay? Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"N-no, you didn't scare me. I just...of all people...didn't expect _you _to find me here. Usually it's always Aqua." Ven laughed sheepishly and scratched the back of his head.

"How are you feeling? Chirithy mentioned you were hurt."

"Oh, I'm...ugh..."

Kairi placed a hand on his back, supporting him. "Ven? You okay?"

Ven nodded as he held his head. "Yeah...I'm just..._really _dizzy, and I feel like I'm getting a bad headache. I'm also really thirsty."

"You're probably dehydrated!" She placed a hand against his forehead. "Yeah, you feel really warm."

Chirithy placed a paw on his forehead. "Thank goodness, she's got enough sense to know Ven's limits."

Kairi laughed and shook her head as she wrapped Ven's arm around her shoulders and supported his lower back, helping him stand up. "Come on, we'll get you back to town. I know someone who is an excellent healer." She grunted at Ven's body weight pressing against her injured shoulder.

"You okay? Sorry if I'm too heavy." Ven muttered softly as the two of them began to walk slowly towards Koko.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Don't worry about it." Kairi smiled and shook her head.

Koko lowered herself to the ground so Kairi could easily lay Ven on her back. After making sure he was safely on the bird, Kairi had Chirithy climb aboard and she had Koko begin their journey back to the town, which was thankfully much faster thanks to how fast a chocobo could run. She rested her hands on Ven's back, making sure he wouldn't fall off and slowly ran them up and down.

_We'll have you well soon, Ven. Just hang in there. _

**A/N: YES! We are finally at Radiant Garden! Btw, there were a TON of Square characters having cameos in this world that have never been featured in KH, and there are gonna be plenty of more coming up, so for each chapter in this world, I'll list each new character cameo for reference after the end of the chapter. **

**Zidane from Final Fantasy IX**

**Cecil and Rosa from Final Fantasy IV**

**Stiltskin the Moogle from Final Fantasy IX**

**Moomba (named Lucy by myself) from Final Fantasy VIII**

**Koko the Chocobo from Final Fantasy V**

**Angelo and Jessica from Dragon Quest VIII (a special cameo for a good friend of mine who has been helping me a lot with this fic and LOVES Dragon Quest)**


	21. A Chain of Memories

**A/N: I know! I know! It's been a couple weeks since I updated! I just started a new job and my artwork's been keeping me busy, but here ya go!**

Chapter 21: A Chain of Memories

Kairi called Naminé and Xion on her phone, explaining the situation about Ven. The three agreed to meet at the palace gates. Once everyone rendezvoused, Naminé and Xion were able to help Ven off of Koko's back. Kairi definitely appreciated not having to carry him by herself this time around, especially since Chirithy was small and could only offer so much help. With Ven being supported by Xion and Kairi, Koko was asked to return to the chocobo farm and Kairi would catch up with her another time. Her main concern now was making sure Ven was brought to a safe place and given the proper care.

With Naminé having no place to go after gaining her own body, she was given a place to stay at Radiant Garden's palace. It was a nice place and Kairi wanted to look around, but ambiance would have to come later. Naminé led the other girls up several flights of stairs before they came upon the west wing where the majority of bedrooms were located. There was an empty room with a comfy bed where they could lay the unconscious boy. Once in the room, Naminé flipped the comforter and allowed Xion and Kairi to lay him down and cover him up.

Everyone wanted to know instantly what happened, but knew Ven needed to rest. Kairi and Xion stayed and watched over him while Naminé retreated down to the kitchen to get some food and tea for when he woke up.

"Where did you find him?" Naminé asked as she entered back into the room.

"Well, he was unconscious in the field, but if it weren't for Chirithy here, I never would've found him." Kairi answered as she placed a hand on Chirithy's head.

"You should've seen him!" Chirithy grumbled while shaking his head. "He was stubborn enough to keep going while wounded and dehydrated."

Xion rested a hand under her chin. "What happened exactly, Chirithy?"

"I don't know...he was already in pretty bad shape by the time I got there."

"Ven…" Kairi muttered his name softly.

After a few hours, Ven grunted and stirred. He slowly moved his head around as his eyes cracked open just the tiniest bit. During their time of waiting for him to awaken, Kairi sat in the corner writing in her journal, Naminé sat in a chair drawing in her sketchbook that she had left at home before leaving on the journey, and Xion was playing games on her gummiphone. The painful sounds of Ven's grunts alerted all three of them as their heads turned like deer in the headlights. Kairi hurried over to the bed, followed by the other two. The girls watched as he sluggishly moved his arm from under the blanket and rested the palm on his forehead. Ven's head felt like there were a thousand rocks in it, but everyone was relieved that he was finally awake at least.

"K-Kairi...?" Ven muttered softly.

"Ven! You're okay!" Kairi exclaimed, bouncing in place.

Chirithy bounced on the bed. "Looks like you're coming around! No thanks to Kairi here!"

"Thank you, Kairi." Ven thanked her with a warm smile as he sat up.

"It was nothing, really. Naminé and Xion here helped too." She rested a hand under her chin. "Besides, I couldn't just leave you out there face down like that."

"Right…Thanks Naminé, Xion."

Naminé laughed softly. "Well, it's good to see you're safe again. But...what happened? How'd you get here?"

"Well…"

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

_Ven breathed heavily as he began to sluggishly awaken from his unconscious state. He felt like his entire life source had just been drained from him. He would never forget what he felt when it actually happened. Ven shuddered as he thought back to when the helmet pressed so much pressure onto his skull, he thought it was going to crack. He remembered trying to fight back from crying out in pain, but he always had his limits. Ven immediately wanted to get out, especially with Luxu not being around. He struggled to try and get out of the restraints, but to no avail. Even trying to struggle a little bit felt like an arduous task with how little energy he had left within him._

"_Ven!"_

_Ven looked ahead and saw a small striped cat-like creature with a cloak hopping over towards him. Recognizing who it was, he softly gasped and smiled widely. _

"_Chirithy?"_

"_About time I found ya!" Chirithy exclaimed._

"_How'd you find me? I don't even know where this place is!" Ven asked._

_Chirithy sighed and shook his head. "Don't ask…The important thing is that I'm here to bust ya out!"_

"_Great! I've been so worried about Aqua and Terra!"_

"_And…?"_

_Ven laughed sheepishly and tilted his head. "I mean...I worry about you too, but-"_

"_Save it for the excuse jar. How do I get you out of here?" Chirithy crossed his arms and turned his head around, scanning the area._

"_I'm...not sure." He softly said. "But, I saw Luxu over there pressing butt-"_

"_Wait! What was his name again?" Chirithy cut Ven off, gasping. _

"_Luxu."_

"_Oh boy…Ven, we have a lot to talk about, but first things first, gotta get you out." Chirithy hopped over to the console and examined the many buttons of different colors, rubbing the side of his head with his paw. "Uhhh, which of these releases you?" He pressed a button that activated the electrical shocks, causing Ven to cry out in pain. "Oh! Sorry! Wrong button! Hmm...maybe this will work…" Chirithy pressed a blue button, suddenly cheerful music began playing from speakers in the room._

'_**It's a small world after all! It's a small world after all!'**_

_Ven cried in anguish. "Turn it off Chirithy! Turn it off!"_

"_Okay! Okay!" Chirithy repressed the button, turning off the music. "Luxu sure as an interesting taste in music…" He pressed one more button, the red one, only for an alarm sound off and the doors to chamber sealed up. "Uh oh…"_

"_Chirithy!"_

'_RED ALERT! RED ALERT! PRISONER ESCAPE!'_

"_Oh boy! Uh...uh…"_

"_Chirithy, do something!" Ven yelled._

"_Maybe...this one?" Chirithy pressed down on a large green button, finally releasing Ven from the restraints and dropping him onto the ground. "Finally! They should label these things."_

_Ven grunted as slowly sat up on his knees. Chirithy hurried over and attempted to help him regain his balance. The keyword being 'attempt' considering Chrirthy was only about eighteen inches tall and had little arms. Now able to stand on his own, Ven took a look around, hoping they weren't completely sealed off by the alarm. He had Chirithy hop back to the console and try to turn off the alarm, but unlike the music button, nothing seemed to work. It finally got to a point where Chiritny was pressing multiple buttons at once, and actually making it worse. He finally got too frustrated and kicked the console. _

"_Well, this thing is useless! Ven, looks like there's only one thing left to do!"_

"_How are we supposed to get out of here now if the entrance is blocked off?" Ven asked, slight panic in his voice._

"_Did you hit your head or something? Use the Keyblade!" Chirithy hopped up and down in place. "You gotta at least be able to do that!"_

_Ven held out his hand and summoned Wayward Wind. "The only thing is I don't know if I have enough energy to get us out of here. That machine took a lot out of me."_

"_You gotta at least try, unless you wanna become someone's stuffed animal."_

"_Well, here goes nothing!"_

_Feeling like he had no other options, Ven held out his Keyblade and shot a beam of light, forming a bright portal. He gasped throughout the whole process, indicating that he was putting whatever strength he had left into creating a way out. Chirithy ran towards Ven and held him before he had the chance to lose his balance and fall over from exhaustion. Ven laughed sheepishly and thanked Chirithy before the two of them walked through, eager to know which world his heart would lead them to._

_Crossing worlds was enough to cause Ven to black out. While he wasn't out for very long, it was enough to concern Chirithy. He bounced over and began to gently shake the fallen Keyblade wielder. Between the light shaking and the blades of grass tickling his cheeks, Ven woke up rather quickly. He pushed himself onto his knees and took a look around. Ven and Chirithy had ended up in a large field, unbeknownst to them, that it was Radiant Garden. _

"_Where...are we?" He asked._

_Chirithy shrugged his shoulders. "Not sure. It looks like we're in the middle of nowhere." He scanned the area before sighing, realizing there was no sign of human life around. "Well, waiting here won't help us. We'd better keep moving until we find civilization."_

"_Yeah…" Ven placed his hands on his stomach that began painfully rumbling. "I need food…"_

"_Maybe we should just rest here? Camp out or something? I'm sure there's a lake somewhere close that has fish."_

"_No, I'll be okay. Wait! I can call-" Ven reached into his pocket, feeling emptiness much to his dismay. "Wait...what? Did he-Ugh! Of course! Luxu WOULD steal my gummiphone...Now I can't call Terra or Aqua…" He slumped over helplessly, holding a hand over his head. "Guess we're walking…"_

_Chirithy shook his head and flew in front of Ven. "Nu-uh! You look like you're going to pass out!"_

"_I'll be fine! The sooner we find a town or something, the sooner I can...eh…"_

"_Ven?"_

"_Chirithy...I don't...feel so good…" Ven mumbled as his eyes drifted shut and he collapsed on the ground. _

"_Ven? Ven!" Chirithy cried out as he attempted to shake the collapsed Keyblade wielder. "Come on!" He slipped his arms underneath Ven's body and attempted to carry him. "Ugh! I can't carry you! You're too heavy!" Chirithy grunted as he began to slowly drag Ven's body with him. "Okay...this isn't happening…" He sighed and dropped Ven back down on the ground. "I guess I'm gonna have to go get help myself…"_

_With Ven unconscious and not waking up, Chirithy hurried further down the path towards the town. Little did he know that help was right around the corner._

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"Chirithy busted you out from where?" Naminé asked.

Ven sighed, holding his head low. "I don't know exactly where I was...except for the fact that I was in a secret lab...and this guy in a black hood...he got deep into my head, and my memories."

"Your memories?"

"They were mostly memories of Sora from the past year. He dug deep into my head for those...and his name was definitely familiar…"

Xion's eyebrows furrowed. "Tell us his name! Who is he?"

"Luxu…"

"Luxu?" Kairi repeated to herself.

Ven nodded. "I've definitely heard that name before, I just don't remember when and where…"

Naminé sighed. "Well, that's more than enough for us for now. You get rest. I think it's possible that Riku, the king, and Aqua can work off of this and try to figure out who this Luxu person is." She looked over at Kairi. "Does the name ring a bell to you?"

"No, I can barely remember much from my childhood."

"That's right...Well, both of you get some rest and recover. We have a lot of training the next few days." Xion placed a hand on Kairi's shoulder.

"Thanks, Xion, Naminé." Kairi waved at the girls as they stepped out of the room. She rose up and walked over to the dresser where there was a tray with cups of hot water and tea packets. "Here Ven, how do you like your tea?"

"Eh...light on the cream, but heavy on the sugar. I'm lactose intolerant. Found out the hard way many years ago when I had an ice cream the size of my face at Disney Town." Ven laughed sheepishly.

Kairi twisted her face as she twirled the mug in her hands. "Ooooh, that sounds painful…" She sat back down on the bed and handed him the tea. "How is it?"

Ven sipped the tea and sighed. "Mmm, it's amazing. You know how to make a great cup of tea." He smiled sweetly as Kairi gripped her tea tightly and sipped it. His eyes caught sight of her bandaged shoulder, peaking his curiosity. "So, what happened to your shoulder? It looks like you got hit pretty bad." Ven asked.

"Oh, it's not too bad. It hurt much worse when it first happened, but Aerith is a really good healer, so I'm already starting to feel better." She brushed strands of hair behind her ear. "It was...kind of a gunshot…" 

"Gunshot?" He gasped. "Are you okay?"

Kairi laughed sheepishly. "Yeah, I'll be fine. I start working on some physical therapy training with Leon tomorrow. He's also trying to build me to learn more advanced Keyblade techniques."

"Really? Well, I look forward to maybe seeing those." He scratched the back of his head. "We...didn't really get a chance to talk all that much the last time we saw each other…"

"It was also the _only _time we saw each other and...I wasn't in the best place…" Kairi softly said, holding her head low. "Even now...I can't call myself in a good place."

Ven chuckled. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I noticed that you're not crying this time around."

"I still do from time to time, but I'm trying not to." She said, holding her head low. "It doesn't really do much, except for release whatever pain I'm building up at the time."

"It's okay to cry."

Kairi nodded before looking at Ven with a determined look in her face. "I know, but crying won't bring Sora back any sooner…"

Ven gasped. "Wait! Did you find anything new?"

"Oh...I guess you haven't heard." She threw her legs onto the bed and sat crisscross.

_**At first, I was afraid of telling Ven about everyone's plan. I didn't want to get his hopes up in case we were unsuccessful. But, I chose to tell him anyway. He had just as much right to know about it as me and Riku, having that strong connection.**_

"I wonder…"

Kairi tilted her head to the side. "Wonder what, Ven?"

"Luxu had me contained and dug deep into my memories." He rested a hand under his chin. "It's making me really question what his plan is and why he needed me."

"Didn't you say the name sounded familiar?" She asked, him nodding in response. "Luxu must've known you from some time ago and maybe there's more to this than we think."

Chirithy bounced onto the bed. "You're not wrong. It's a really long story though…"

"I just can't help but think that this might have something to do with Sora."

Kairi laughed. "That doesn't surprise me. That's typically what it always boils down to."

Ven flashed a cheeky smile. "Hey, you're laughing!"

"Uh...yeah, I guess I am." She said with a soft smile.

"Yeah, I always liked it when you smiled and laughed." His expression softened as he tilted his head to the side. "Promise me you'll keep laughing and smiling, okay?" He softly asked.

Kairi softly gasped as she looked deep into Ven's eyes. She could've sworn she saw the exact same boy in those eyes, that same boy she grew up with for over ten years, the same boy who gave up everything for her. Yet, it wasn't Sora.

"Okay, Ven." Kairi softly said with a nod. She looked up at the time before standing up. "It's getting late and I should get going to bed. I have a long day tomorrow."

"And you need to eat!" Chirithy bounced over to the dresser and brought the tray of food over to Ven. "Eat, sleep, and rehydrate!"

"Yeah, you're right, Chirithy." Ven scratched the back of his head. "Good luck, Kairi."

Kairi walked into the room she was staying in and finally got a good look at it this time around. It heavily resembled a bedroom for a little girl, and yet, she was drawn more to it than the other rooms that were generically a more adult feel and look. She took a seat on the bed that adorned bedsheets and comforters in various shades of pink. Her hand brushed along the duvet as her eyes scanned the room, locking on to the different furniture that was white with pink trims. This was definitely a little girl's room compared to Kairi's room back on the island that had earthy-looking furniture and her curtains and bedsheets weren't pastel colors. The items that rested on the furniture varied from ceramic figurines to collectible dolls. One item in particular caught Kairi's attention though.

On the dresser, Kairi noticed there was a small white box with flowers on it. She walked over and picked it up, examining and noticing what looked like a key sticking out the side of it. Curious, she began to wind up the key, and the top of the box began to open while soft music played from it. Inside the box was a tiny figurine of a ballerina that slowly spun around. Kairi's pupils followed the ballerina until she was almost in a daydream-like gaze. She found herself swaying back and forth between closing her eyes and holding her arms out in a starting ballet pose. With the music, Kairi began performing basic twirls, leaps and circled around the room much like a small child would. In fact, she almost saw herself, at around three years old, in this exact bedroom, wearing a ballet tutu and spinning around with the same music box.

"_Kairi!"_

Kairi opened her eyes to see what looked like her younger self and her grandmother in spirit form in the room. She gasped and covered her mouth as her grandmother stood in the doorway looking in. Her younger self giggled and ran over to the doorway.

"_Grandma! Watch me!" Kairi giggled as she held her grandma's hands._

"_Well, aren't you just the perfect little swanling!" Kairi's grandma laughed. "You've been practicing for so long! You must me tired!"_

"_No! I'm not sleepy!" She stubbornly shook her head._

"_Oh, but you must go to sleep, my dear. Your light needs rest too if it's going to burn nice and strong." Grandma chuckled._

"_My light is good!"_

"_Yes, you are quite right, my little light."_

"Grandma?" Kairi choked out as she reached forward.

"_And you'll always be my little light, Kairi."_

"Grandma!"

Kairi cried out as she ran forward, attempting to embrace her. Much to her dismay, she ran right through her grandmother and her younger self, both of them vanishing into thin air. She gasped as gazed at the thin air in front of her, not a trace of their presence. She struggled to swallow the lump that formed in her throat as she looked towards the bedroom window. It had begun raining and a torrential downpour's worth of drops pounded against the window. Sighing heavily, Kairi removed her dress until she was in her underarmour and crawled into the bed. She lay her eyes on the small pink stuffed cat that rested against the pillows and picked it up. Even if it was a childish stuffed animal, she knew in her heart that it was a handmade gift from her grandmother.

Despite being 16, Kairi hugged it tightly, not caring if anyone saw her. She felt so empty at the moment and needed comfort, but didn't want to go to Xion and Naminé on account of feeling like a broken record with those two. Instead, Kairi clutched the stuffed cat and lay down, watching the storm outside. Thunder and lightning crackled outside, causing her to jump. Although she lived on an island, Kairi hated big storms like the one going on outside. While lying down, she could almost hear a conversation going on between her younger self and her grandmother inside her head.

"**Kairi, you okay, my love?"**

"_Grandma, I'm afraid! The thunder is big!"_

"**Well, lucky for you my dear, the big bad thunder can't get you as long as I'm here."**

"_What about the monsters under the bed?"_

"**No monsters either."**

"_Promise?"_

"**Promise. I'll always be with you, my little Kairi."**

Kairi's eyes began to flood with tears as she looked at the stuffed cat again. She struggled to hold them back and instead, broke down in tears. Kairi wished she could've said goodbye to her grandmother one last time before their world was destroyed. Yet, at the same time, she felt like if her grandmother saw her, she'd be disappointed in how she turned out. Kairi even started to question whether her family on the island resented her for running away the way she did. She groaned as she wiped her tears away. She was tired of crying. Kairi cried almost every day for months just from Sora's death and now she was crying over her grandmother. Surely her friends were tired of her being this way, right? Even if they weren't, she wouldn't know.

_**The rain that pelted against my window that night reminded me of a lot of things. Many will argue that rain brings life. I see it a little differently. It rained when I lost Radiant Garden, the night I lost my grandmother, it was stormy the night our island was lost, and it rained after you vanished.**_

_**Deep down, I think the rain just reminded me of home. The more I thought about it, the more I felt like I wanted to go home. But what was home? Destiny Islands or Radiant Garden? Maybe I didn't have a home. Maybe I was meant to be on the go my whole life. Even if I saved you, what would happen if I just never went home with you? What if the roles were reversed and I vanished into thin air? I'm sure everyone's lives would be a lot easier if they didn't have to worry about me getting into dangerous situations. Maybe that was for the best. Riku wouldn't need me. Naminé fits the replacement bill perfectly. Xion has Roxas, Axel, and the whole Twilight Town crew. You would probably get by without me too. You've got plenty of friends, and you'd probably fall in love with a girl who wasn't always putting you in even more danger.**_

_**Maybe...I didn't belong anywhere.**_

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

The next morning came sooner than Kairi would've liked it. While she was a morning person, waking up at the crack of dawn wasn't something she enjoyed doing, especially if it wasn't on a school day. The lack of sleep the previous night didn't help her case either. When the bright light peaked through the curtains and harshly greeted her, Kairi pushed her sluggish body up and sat in bed, rubbing her eyes. Her eyes were so heavy that if it weren't for the muscles that she used to open them, they would've immediately closed right back up. Kairi sighed and rubbed her eyes, softly whimpering at the pain that circulated throughout her head.

After letting out a big yawn, Kairi looked down at the stuffed cat she had cuddled with before looking out the window. It had stopped raining, but now she only wanted to sleep more considering how early it was. She allowed her heavy eyes to drift shut and collapsed back down, burying her face into the pillow. It didn't last very long thanks to her alarm on her gummiphone sounding off only a few short minutes later. The exhausted Keyblade wielder groaned loudly and turned off the arm before forcing herself out of bed. Normally, she would've just ignored the alarm and slept, but she didn't want to keep Leon waiting.

Taking not long to get ready. Kairi only wore her white tank and her biker shorts. She decided not to bother with the dress. One of the palace housekeepers offered kindly to wash the dress anyway and Kairi couldn't turn down free laundry. Her Keyblade was also still at Stiltzkin's shop getting cleaned up. After putting on her combat boots, she retreated to the training grounds, a large field with obstacle courses and dummies for weapon training. To Kairi, it made the gym at her school look like a child's playground. She leaned against a tree and waited for Leon to arrive.

"You made it bright and early." Leon greeted her upon arrival. Kairi nodded while letting out a big yawn. "Still tired?"

"Kinda...I didn't sleep that well last night. I had a lot on my mind."

"Do you need to talk about it?"

Kairi shook her head. "Some things are better left unsaid because at the end of the day, you can't change the past…"

"I see. Well, if you decide you need someone to talk to you, we've all got your back. But lucky for you, you're not doing much physical work today. So, you ready for your first day of therapy?" Leon asked.

Kairi nodded while yawning. "Yes, but...I never took you for the 'therapeutic' type."

"You'd be correct. I'll be teaching you some advanced combat techniques, but first, you gotta get your shoulder slowly readjusted again. Instead…" He turned and held his arm out, allowing a young woman around his age with dark black hair and blonde highlights to emerge into the site. "She will be the one helping you with your shoulder. This is my-"

"Fiancee!" The young woman giggled. "My name is Rinoa Heartilly! Squall here has told me a lot about you and everything you've been going through."

Kairi smiled softly and folded her hands. "Awww Leon, you didn't tell me you were engaged."

"It literally happened about a month ago." Leon explained as he looked away, blushing and trying to hide a grin behind his tough exterior.

"Wait...your name is Squall?"

"He can explain that later." Rinoa said as she threw down a large duffel bag. "We've got a lot to do if we're gonna get you back on the battlefield in a few days!" Kairi couldn't help but gulp her nerves down. Rinoa reminded her of that sports coach that was super sweet, but could kick someone when it comes to training. "Don't worry, today's easy. We're gonna focus on gentle stimulation on your shoulder so that it gets used to the strains of battle again without injuring yourself even further. You with me here?" Kairi nodded.

For that morning's training, Rinoa spent a lot of time on Kairi doing very light stretches and physical work, trying to improve her shoulder's strength. Simple yoga poses were enough to get her shoulder out of its stiffened condition from being bandaged up for a few days. Rinoa eventually had Kairi do some slow push-ups, having her stop if she felt any pain or discomfort in her shoulder. While there was minor discomfort, Kairi continued to press on. The last thing she wanted to do was waste time working out when she could be looking for her seashells. Rinoa laughed at the redhead's stubbornness and decided to move her onto more strenuous activity, that being punching. She had Kairi start off with slow punches in air to warm up before moving her onto a punching bag and asking her to put a little force into it.

"Okay...good. How does that feel?" Rinoa asked.

"Better. I'm surprised my shoulder seems to be healing so quickly." Kairi answered as she gently continued to punch the bag. "How does that work?"

"Aerith is an expert in healing magic. She was able to help you get over the worst of it yesterday and now it's more of a matter of warming it back up for battle." 

Kairi laughed. "Great. If only Aerith was around on my island when I sprained my ankle when I was 12!"

"How did this happen?" 

"I was...being a little stupid and reckless." Kairi sighed as she picked up some dumbells and began doing gentle shoulder raises. "I was surfing with Sora and Riku and decided to get on Sora's board. I stood up, throwing off our balance and I fell into the ocean and got my ankle wedged tightly between two boulders. Sora and Riku both had to help me out. My foot was scraped up, but my ankle was a different story. It took a couple weeks to heal, but the boys were good to me and took care of me. Sora would bring over board games and card games from his house for us to play and Riku was making sure I had food, had plenty to drink, and that I was comfortable." She stopped and sat down under the tree with Rinoa. "They always had my back...and I just want to do the same for them."

"You'll get there. Don't you worry. You have a lot of spirit in you, and that goes a long way." Rinoa pulled out a couple of apples and handed one to Kairi. "Here, in the meantime, take a break. Just a couple more days of this and you'll be back on the field."

Kairi nodded and smiled. "Thanks, Rinoa." She leaned against the tree as she munched on her snack. "So tell me, why doesn't Leon go by Squall?

Rinoa sighed, folding her hands together. "Well, all of us called him Squall for practically our whole lives, until the day Radiant Garden fell to darkness over ten years ago. We were 16, and we were both training to become soldiers for Radiant Garden. That's how we met, actually. Squall was very devoted to our training and even if he came off as someone closed off, he had a big heart once you got to know him."

"So, what happened?"

"When Radiant Garden fell into darkness, we were separated. I didn't know what happened to him for the longest time." Rinoa answered in a low tone. "I was in a completely different world than this one. I was scared, and I thought maybe Squall was dead." She smiled softly and looked up. "I was accepted into this resistance group called The Forest Owls. We were like family, and it took advantage of my training."

Kairi leaned against the tree and stared up at the sky. "Yeah, that's kinda what happened to me too. I don't exactly remember much from that night, but I remember waking up in a different world, a tropical island, and this curious little boy found me on the beach. I was afraid at first, but then I realized he only wanted to help me, and he did, not just in that moment, but all throughout our lives together. My whole world and life had changed in that moment...thanks to _him_." Kairi whispered. "Sora, I owe him for so much. I wish I could just see him for one minute so I can thank him for being part of my life."

"You will. But like love, this journey of yours requires patience. If you keep throwing yourself into dangerous situations without analyzing it, you'll keep hurting yourself, or worse, you could get killed." Rinoa pointed out.

"She's not wrong." Leon agreed as he came over, obviously overhearing the conversation. "Rinoa told me the same thing. But, you don't have to be hard on yourself for doing what you're doing. Sora's just as reckless as you are, remember?"

Kairi laughed and shook her head. "He really hasn't changed. Even as a child he was reckless. He was that one five year old who would climb a fence even though it was beyond too high for a small child to climb."

Leon chuckled. "That's Sora, for sure." He looked over at Kairi, who had a look of uncertainty on her face.

"Yeah…"

Rinoa sighed and rested a hand on Kairi's shoulder. "Why don't you go take an extended break and walk around a bit? You've done really well this morning. Go pick up your Keyblade from Stiltzkin's shop. When you come back, we'll start using it."

"Okay. Thanks Rinoa, Leon."

Kairi took some time to walk through the palace now that she was done with her morning training with Leon and Rinoa. She felt bad for not really exploring the place since Naminé brought her and Xion there, but in her defense, the previous day was overwhelming and she was exhausted by the end of it. Kairi proceeded up various flights of stairs and took in the surprisingly intimate atmosphere considering the palace was huge. The inside was more dimmed compared to its brighter color pallette that was very deceptive in how it looked inside.

The inside of the palace was beautiful and almost brought a calming aura to Kairi. She smiled softly as she looked at the various tapestries and paintings that lined the walls. It was almost like looking at an art museum, only most of the people in the portraits were a complete mystery due to there being no information present about them. Instead, Kairi just studied each one, attempting to form her own story behind each one. Some of them looked like they were the kings and queens of the previous generations of Radiant Garden. Some of them looked like they could've been either heirs or heroes to the world.

Then came a wall that peaked Kairi's interest quite a lot. It was a wall lined up with warriors in armor, but not just any warriors. They were Keyblade wielders at the very least. She was sure they were true Keyblade masters. Kairi studied the portraits of the Keyblade wielders. While she was immersed by the people portrayed in the paintings, each one of them was portrayed with a small batch of dandelions floating away behind them. It was a peculiar design choice in her opinion, but nonetheless, it was beautiful. One in particular caught her attention. She studied the fair-skinned face of the Keyblade wielder. The long red hair tied back behind, the blue eyes, Kairi couldn't help but feel a sense of familiarity from the painting. Her heart started pounding against her chest, almost as if her heart was reacting to it.

Kairi found herself getting lost in the painting, until she looked over and saw a pair of double doors. Curious about where it could lead her to, she hurried over and cracked one of the doors opening. It didn't take long for her to recognize it as the library, but not just any library. It was one she vividly remembered spending a lot of time at during her early childhood years. The shelves her stacked high with books ranging from fiction to nonfiction, horror to adventure, tragedy to romance, young adult novels to children's stories. Kairi was immediately drawn to look down the aisle that contained the children's stories. If there were any that would jog her memory, those would be the ones.

As she wandered down the aisle, Kairi's eyes scanned the shelves. While there weren't as many compared to the books that adults would read, she remembered as a kid not being picky about reading at home on the island. As long as it contained some adventure and a cute animal, Kairi was set. Her eyes stopped on a particular book that was sticking out. She grabbed dark red manuscript and dusted off the cover. It was apparent that it had been many years since anyone read this. The cover read "Sleeping Beauty" on it. Kairi immediately felt the need to flip through the books, taking in their colorful illustrations and fancy font as the tale of the sleeping maiden cycled through her mind.

It wasn't just the fairytale she started to remember. Clutching the book, Kairi looked over and saw an empty chair over by a large table. She suddenly felt the desire to go sit in the chair. As she got comfortable, a strange feeling stirred within her. It was almost as if the chair felt...empty. Kairi sighed as she flipped the book back open. Between the book and the chair she sat in, her heart was sent on a nostalgic trip through an early childhood memory.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"_And then with one finishing blow, Prince Lucien defeated the dragon. The kingdom was finally freed of the dark curse! But the prince still had one last thing before his quest would be complete." Kairi's grandma read. She flipped the page to the next illustration of the prince entering a room with the sleeping princess. "Prince Lucien hurried up those stairs until he came upon the chamber where the sleeping beauty lay."  
_

_Kairi bounced in place. "Uh huh!" She studied the illustrations and nodded her head._

"_He looked upon the beautiful maiden before him and knelt before her bed. Now close, Lucien leaned down and KISSED the Princess Anais! Just like the magic spell predicted, Princess Anais finally woke up! As did the rest of the kingdom's people." Her grandmother laughed as Kairi giggled from the moment that just occurred in the story. "Now, with the kingdom saved and their princess awake and safe, the prince scooped her into his arms and led her into a dance. From that moment on, they lived…"_

"_Happily ever after!" Kairi and her grandmother both proclaimed._

_Kairi's grandma laughed as she closed the book. "And that's the end, Kairi!"_

"_Can we read it again?"_

"_Again? Child, that's the second time we've read it in a row." She jested._

"_I know, but it's my favorite! There's cute animals, swordfights, magic spells, and a beautiful princess!" Kairi flipped through the book. "I wish I could be in this story!"_

"_Kairi, you want to sleep for most of the story?"_

_Kairi laughed and shook her head. "Nooooo! I wanna fight the dragon! Maybe someday I'll wake up a sleeping prince!" She suddenly frowned. "But I won't kiss him! Yuck!"_

_Kairi's grandma continued to play along. "Well then, how will you wake up this sleeping prince?"_

"_Hmmm…." She thought for a moment. "Maybe I'll just...hug him? Yeah! I'll just give him the biggest hug ever! That will wake him up, right?"  
_

"_Well, it certainly does wake me up."_

"_Yeah." Kairi paused for a moment and studied the illustration of the old witch in the book. "Grandma? What if I try to fight the dragon and it is too scary?"_

"_Oh, you are a brave child, Kairi, but it's okay to be scared sometimes. In fact, did you know that being scared makes us stronger?"_

"_Huh?"_

"_Oh yes." Kairi's grandma nodded. "You see, every person, even the bravest knights and princes, is afraid of something. It's when we face those fears and overcome them that makes us stronger. If someone is able to conquer their biggest fears, they'll be able to do anything they put their mind to."_

"_But Grandma, what if I'm not brave?" Kairi asked, twiddling her fingers._

"_Kairi, as long as you believe in your light and use it, you will never have to be afraid. Always believe in your light, it is your most prized possession." Kairi's grandma reached back and pulled a golden pendant off her neck and put it around her granddaughter's. "Here, wear this pendant around your neck."_

"_Wow, it's so pretty!"_

"_This is a pendant that contains a glimmer of light. It'll give you the courage you need to face your fears. Just never forget that your light is always there, even in the deepest darkness."_

_Kairi giggled and nodded. "Okay, I won't forget, Grandma!" She hugged her grandmother tightly before picking the book back up. "Okay, now can we read this again?"_

"_Well," Kairi's grandma sighed. "It is getting close to your bedtime, but we'll read half of it."_

"_Yay!" _

_Kairi nestled down on her grandmother's lap as the book was flipped back to the beginning. They began to read again up until Kairi fell asleep in her grandmother's arms shortly after they started. Her grandmother looked down at the sleeping child and kissed her forehead before beginning to carry her out of the library. _

_-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/_

"Grandma...I'll keep my promise to you…" Kairi whispered as her eyes teared up.

Wiping her tears from her eyes, Kairi took the book back to the shelf. This time, she was unable to hold back her tears. She felt like even if it was only about five years' worth of memories that she had lost, it was some of the heaviest memories that were lost. Kairi allowed tears to roll down her cheeks. As she attempted to walk while drying, she accidentally stumbled across a sculptured bust and accidentally knocked it over. Kairi gasped at the fall, but not necessarily at the sculpture, but at the fact that there was a large button. She decided to push the button and watched as a bookshelf slid to the side, revealing a secret hallway.

Kairi decided to check out the hallways that looked conspicuously different compared to the rest of the interior decoration. There was an elevator at the end. Thanks to her curiosity peaking, Kairi stepped into the elevator and pushed the down button. When the doors opened at the bottom floor, it almost seemed like she was in a completely different place than the palace. In fact, the walls almost looked like they belonged in a scientific lab. As she proceeded down the hallway, the air seemed to get colder the further she went in. The feeling of her foot stepping on something and cracking it. She gasped and looked down and saw that a piece of glass had shattered underneath. Her eyes studied glass before she turned around the corner and took a look into the last place she wanted to be in.

There were large computer consoles where the power was cut off and various large capsules that appeared to be shattered. This was definitely a laboratory, but it was a completely different room than the one Kairi stayed in when Ansem and Ienzo examined her heart. Kairi brushed her hand along the large computer and decided to try and power it on. Upon pressing the power button, it remained shut down. The same went for the other consoles. It looked like the power was cut off completely to both the computers and the capsules.

As Kairi stepped back and turned in place, getting a good look at the place that smelled of mildew, her heel accidentally kicked something. She looked down and saw that it was a tape. What was this random tape doing on the floor? She picked it up and examined it, taking notice of the large piece of masking tape that had RESTRICTED written in bright red marker on it. Kairi furrowed her eyebrows as she looked over and saw a tape recorder sitting on the counter. She walked over and decided to see if the recorder would work. With a flick of the power switch, the recorder turned on. Should she listen to the tape? Probably not, but her inner gut said otherwise. Kairi inserted the tape and pressed the play button. It sounded fuzzy, indicating its age and condition, but she could still hear what was recorded.

"_Everything's ready, Xehanort!"_

"_And the numbers from the others?" Xehanort's voice echoed from the recording._

"_We have the book."_

"_Where are we, Mr. Xehanort?" A little girl's voice, one that Kairi recognized as her own from when she was around five years old, came from the speakers._

_Xehanort chuckled. "Don't you worry, Princess. We're just gonna run a few tests on you, that's all." _

"_Tests?"_

"_You won't feel a-"_

The recording cut off and skipped to another part. It was apparent that Kairi wasn't going to get a clear playback from the tape, but figured it was better than nothing.

"_All right, in you go, Princess." Xehanort said, sounding like he was picking her up._

"_W-wait...I'm sca-" _

The recording cut off again.

"Xehanort, what are the readings?" A male's voice asked.

_Xehanort groaned. "Braig...this child...she's a pure light...I can't..." The sound of rapid typing on a keyboard echoed from the recording. "It all makes sense now. I remember now. That boy, Ventus. His location is unknown. We need-" _

The recording cut off.

"What? What do they need?" Kairi asked desperately. She fast-forwarded the recording to another voice.

"_Xehanort, we have a problem! The princess! She's waking up!" _

_Xehanort grunted. "No! Sedate her at once!"_

The sound of her younger self screaming caused Kairi to shut off the tape recorder and cover her ears. She suddenly remembered being stuck trapped in the capsule, floating in the water, her entire face strapped to an oxygen tank that also sedated her. Kairi began hyperventilating as she remembered struggling to escape the capsule, but was unsuccessful. The room started to spin as images of a younger Xehanort, as well as multiple other unrecognizable faces started to race through her mind. As the sound of stepping on another piece of glass suddenly sounded a hundred times louder than it should've, Kairi's body began shaking. It almost felt like someone had just started aggressively pumping the memories back into her mind.

If the images weren't disturbing enough. Kairi began hearing voices echoing in her head. They weren't just any voices. They were voices that belonged to children. These children's voices sounded anything but cheerful. Their tones could be comparable to children that were softly pleading to their parents to stop their pain. Kairi shook her head while trying to cover her ears in vain that it would be completely silent in the room. Instead, she felt herself beginning to cry herself, the longer she listened to the children's cries.

**Help…**

**Help us…**

**It hurts…**

**I can't stop crying…**

**I want my mom and dad…**

**Please make it stop…**

**They took our hearts…**

**Princess of Heart…**

**You're our only hope...**

Kairi finally decided that she had enough. She screamed in anguish, which sounded less than pleasant to anyone who would've been in that lab with her. Feeling her entire body growing number, Kairi began to step back, only for her to lose her footing. She began to collapse backwards, but lucky for her, a young man who just happened to enter the lab at the perfect time. He managed to hurry forward and catch Kairi before her body could smack against the hard lab floor.

"Whoa! Kairi! You okay there?" He asked.

Kairi stammered as she held onto him and looked up into his eyes. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to come in here! I'll never come back here again! I never want to be back here again!" She cried, gripping his lab coat tightly.

"Hey, there's no need to apologize. You haven't done anything wrong. I'm shocked you found your way into this room. Ansem has kept this locked for over ten years." He softly pet her on the head. "We saw on the computer that the alarm was tripped, so I thought I'd investigate, but no harm done! We're not dealing with anything dangerous in the lab unless you count Even's crazy temper."

"What?" Kairi asked, tilting her head.

The young man laughed and shook his head. "Never mind. You okay, though?"

"Y-Yeah...Thanks, Ienzo." She said while catching her breath. "I...I never should've come here though."

"Hmm. Bad memories?" Ienzo asked with a sigh. Kairi nodded, while wrapping her arms around herself. "Tell me about it. I'm not sure if you remember, but we used to be really good friends when we were kids."

Kairi sighed and shook her head. "My memory is a little hazy still."

"Well, we used to eat ice cream out in the courtyard during the warm summer afternoons and play in the rain puddles. So, when I heard that you were being brought into the lab for tests, I didn't like it one bit. Of course, I was just a kid, and didn't think I could do anything about it." He said while folding his arms. "I wish I did."

"Don't blame yourself. I'll just...get out of here. I'll feel much better once I'm back outside. I'm sorry again for intruding. I hope Ansem isn't upset by this." She apologized.

"Actually, you came right on cue."

Kairi tilted an eyebrow in confusion. "To this lab? I thought this was a secret considering I found this place by accident."

"Right…" Ienzo laughed sheepishly. "Well come here into the lab, I have something to show you."

Ienzo led Kairi down another hallway that took them to another elevator, one that looked identical to the one she had taken. She watched with anticipation as he pressed the up button. Once they were all the way up, the elevator doors opened up, revealing another laboratory. This time, it was one that had a focus on technology as opposed to experiments like the one on the bottom floor. Kairi looked out the window and noticed the large radio tower that was lit up at the top. It reminded her of the one back on Destiny Islands that was used to broadcast live radio for the locals to listen to, only this one seemed bigger and, for lack of a better term, more advanced. As she gazed upon the tower, Ienzo waved her over. Inside the room the two of them walked into, Even was typing away on a large computer that was stationed right outside what appeared to be a large portal generator.

"Ienzo! She's not authorized to be here!" Even gasped and held his arms out as if he were protecting something top secret.

"And just what makes _this _time different from last time?" Ienzo asked in a snarky tone as he folded his arms.

"Well...uh...she could...uh…" He stammered.

Ienzo rolled his eyes. "You're just cranky because Kairi accidentally tripped the alarm and it was loud. Just relax, Even." He placed his hands on the shoulders of his comrade. "This could be big, but we're also exhausting our options, so Kairi might be able to help us."

"Help with what?" Kairi asked, inching closer towards the young men.

Ienzo shared a serious look with Even, who couldn't have looked more apprehensive and shook his head. "Even, she deserves to know." He stepped forward, laying a hand on top of a large computer. "We...are working on a possible way to bring back Sora."

"S-Sora? How?"

"Ienzo, that's enough!"

"Ansem? There has to be.."

Ansem shook his head. "My research has done more harm than good to the people of this world, including you, Kairi." He brushed past his apprentices and began typing on the main computer. "I will no longer take part in these experiments."

Even looked over at their master with a tilted eyebrow up. "Master, what is the issue?"

"I must focus on what I have devoted my life to now, the advancements of technology and improving the basic lifestyle here in Radiant Garden.

"But Ansem, I understand your need to part from your old ways of research, but we're talking about restoring somebody." Ienzo argued.

"Sir Ansem, please…" Kairi stepped forward and lightly grabbed Ansem by the arm, causing him to softly gasp involuntarily. "Please, if there's anything you can do to save Sora, please try...I'll do anything…"

Ansem sighed. His head hung low and his eyes shut. "I'm...sorry. The only way to save him in this case, is not the way you think." Kairi tilted her head to the side and waited for his answer. "The same way Roxas and Naminé were saved." 

"And Xion." Even pointed out. Everyone turned their heads to him. "Replicas. That's how Xehanort created his true Organization XIII after Sora defeated the original. The reputation of 'mad scientist' reigns true. When a man has his mind set on research, he tends to lose himself a little bit." He leaned against the computer and crossed his arms. "Xehanort saw my passion and used that to his advantage. Used my knowledge of mankind and the human heart, and recruited me to begin work on replicas. They are made up of a heart and a vessel, an empty body."

"But...isn't that what a human is anyway?" Kairi asked.

"Yes. Contrary to what they're called, replicas are human too. The difference between you and a replica is that a replica has their heart artificially fused with a vessel whereas a human is born naturally. Should a replica choose to give up their existence, the heart will move on, but the body will stay behind, ready to house the next heart." Ienzo explained.

"Naminé...her heart is being housed by the Riku replica's body." Kairi muttered.

Even nodded. "I was charged with constructing vessels for the time traveling hearts of Xehanort's seekers."

"Time traveling? That's not confusing or anything…" Kairi sarcastically rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"I wanted to atone. I wanted my life back. So, I had Demyx take one of the extra vessels I had constructed and he brought it here to complete the reconstruction of Roxas. I had immediately begun work on constructing a vessel for Naminé, but much to our surprise, Demyx had brought us another vessel, one that he claimed belonged to one of my first creations." Even sighed. "It's just too bad I never finished that other vessel before it disappeared.

"Disappeared?" Ienzo and Kairi both asked in unison.

Ansem groaned. "Impossible! I have security around the lab at the highest I've ever had in all my years of ruling this world!"

"Uh...you may wanna give a look at the library then, sir. I kinda tripped the secret entrance." Kairi suggested.

"I'll keep that in mind, Kairi." He huffed as he hurried towards his study. "In the meantime, I will have to figure out how that replica vanished. After all, vessels don't just come to life when we're not looking and walk away."

"You'd be right, Ansem." Ienzo laughed sheepishly at his master's dry joke. "But Even, when did this happen? And why didn't you tell us your vessel vanished?"

"Not long ago, very recently. I didn't mention it because I didn't think it was a problem at the time. Especially since it was an incomplete replica. I hadn't finished the cognitive aspects of the brain. This could mean big memory problems for the replica if someone tries to create one." He scratched the top of his head as his eye twitched. "But...now that you mention it. I could've finished it and used it as a vessel for Sora if we were to reconstruct his heart."

"Reconstruct his heart?" Kairi muttered softly. "You mean like a literal replica of Sora?"

Ienzo nodded. "It is very possible. You see, if the theory that Sora has vanished from our world altogether is true, then there is always the possibility that he could have ended up into a realm that is entirely composed of computerized data. If that is the case, we could recreate Sora using the replica process. We were able to do the same for Roxas. If you wanted to, we could use the data Ansem had saved here on the computer to reconstruct a new heart, place it into a vessel, and it will be as if we had never lost Sora."

"Hmm...I'm...not sure. Part of me wants to say yes, but part of me also feels like it wouldn't be the same Sora." She held her head low and crossed her arms. "I'm not even sure how Riku would feel about this. He and Sora are like brothers. They're arguably closer than I am with either of them. Besides, I don't think Riku has the best track record of dealing with replicas."

"He has a gummiphone, doesn't he?" Ienzo asked. Kairi nodded. "Why don't we give him a call and run it by him? Then, depending on how he feels about it, we can go from there."

Kairi pulled out her gummiphone. "I guess there's no harm in checking in." She searched through her phone until she found Riku's number and tapped on it.

**A/N: Yeah...a lot of dialogue in this chapter, but you guys like dialogue, right? Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to my friend, Kristen Verne. Congrats on your successes, my friend! Your boy Ienzo is rootin' for ya!**


	22. Mysteries of the Past

**A/N: Do you like dialogue in fanfics? I hope so, because there's A LOT OF IT in this chapter! Have fuuuuuuuun :D**

Chapter 22: Mysteries of the Past

Riku, Aqua, Mickey, all survivors of the recent Keyblade war. They stood in formation and overlooked the thousands of Keyblades that were buried into the ground in honor of their fallen wielders. The lack of life left the sound of the chilling wind sounding like a haunting howl. Riku and Aqua breathed deeply as the dust from the ground and rock formations painted their faces. Mickey rubbed his nose as the sun had begun to set, ending their long day of investigating the battle site that changed their lives forever. While they remained quiet, their hearts all echoed the same thing. The place emitted a hollow feeling, almost as if the world was heartless itself.

As the sky grew as dark as it once was that fateful day, the three Keyblade masters looked at each other, knowing exactly that they had reached the end of the road. There was nothing left, or was there anything there to begin with? Riku sighed as he helped gather small rocks with Aqua, throwing them into a small pile. By the time they had enough, Mickey cast a Firaga spell on the rocks, creating enough of a fire to warm the night. Now gathered around the fire, they each shared a look of hopelessness. They had only begun cracking the mystery of the hooded figure that Kairi witnessed, and yet, they already felt defeated.

Neither of them would ever have that feeling of relief again. Neither wielder would ever feel like they could go home peacefully again. Neither wielder would ever feel like the true light was within their heart's view. No matter how hard they worked, the true victory wasn't cracking the case. At the end of the day, they did it for one reason. Until they could save the boy who sacrificed all that he had to save not only Kairi, but everyone, victory could never be achieved, especially in Riku's eyes.

"Well, it's just as barren as it was when we last left it." Mickey sighed as he crossed his arms and tapped a foot.

Riku nodded. "Yeah, I guess this place truly is a wasteland."

Aqua shook her head. "Yet...it feels like we left so much here." She looked ahead at Riku, who only stared at the fire blankly. "Are you alright, Riku?"

"Yeah...I guess I'm just...tired." He crossed his arms and rested on his knee.

Mickey nodded. "We've been going on for days now. I was hoping we'd find something in Organization XIII's old headquarters, and we didn't find anything in Radiant Garden, so it looks like we'll have to keep going."

"Maybe we should start asking around instead of just keeping this on the downlow. I know we're trying not to worry everyone, but we're not finding anything regarding this "hooded figure" that Kairi mentioned, and I'm also getting concerned about Ven." Aqua mentioned softly. She pulled out his green wayfinder and held it close to her heart. "After all these years...I can't…"

"We'll find Ven. You went through a lot and you survived being trapped in the Realm of Darkness for over ten years. You're a lot more capable than you think." Riku paused as he stared down at the ground. "That's...what I should've said to Kairi when she first had the idea to try and save Sora…"

"What happened?" Aqua asked.

"Didn't you mention that Kairi ran away before we all met together?" Mickey asked.

"Yeah, it was my fault." Riku sighed as he stretched his legs out and looked up at the stars. "I kinda lost my temper and took it out on Kairi. I had all of this pent up anger at the world and instead of confronting it and asking for help, it kept building up like a volcano and it finally blew up. Before I had a chance to take back what I said, the damage had already been done. "

Aqua nodded as she rested her chin on her hand. "I understand. It happens to the best of us. Even Terra, Ven, and I had our moments of tension."

"I know, but...I've never...I've never said anything like that to her...She said she hated me."

Mickey walked over to Riku and rested a gloved hand on his shoulder. "Riku, it's not uncommon for us to have irrational thoughts when the heart experiences so much pain. Isn't that how you fell to the darkness before?"

Riku nodded. "I remember being under the impression that Sora had stopped caring about me and Kairi altogether. The fact that Sora and I were in rough waters before that didn't help either."

"What tore you two apart?" Aqua asked.

"If you asked me a couple years ago, I could answer in a heartbeat, but honestly, looking back, I don't know." He shook his head. "Whatever it was, it had to be really stupid. I guess what they say about not knowing how precious someone is to you until they're gone is true."

"Indeed, you're right about that." Mickey agreed.

"I want to believe in Kairi. I want to believe she can save Sora. I want to believe this is all just a nightmare and that I'll wake up, and all three of us will be lying on the beach again."

Aqua rested a hand on Riku's back. "Then what's stopping you?"

"When you've spent many years feeling disappointed in yourself, you start to set realistic expectations in life, you know? For once, I don't want to get my hopes up."

Aqua and Mickey looked at each other, sharing saddened looks. Mickey knew all too well about how much Riku had grown since they first met a couple years ago in Realm of Darkness. He also knew that no matter what encouraging words he said, it wasn't going to bring his best friend back. Even if Aqua hadn't known Riku for as long, nor did she take the same path he did, she empathized with Riku in feeling disappointed in herself for not being able to save Terra and Ven despite all she had attempted. Even now, Aqua and Mickey both felt hopeless in trying to restore Riku's faith in himself and his friends, but they had to try, not just as Keyblade masters, but as his friends.

"You know Riku, this might be hard to believe, but there may be more of us feeling that way than you know." Aqua mentioned.

Mickey frowned. "Aqua's right. Deep down, we've all had to overcome our own share of self-doubt and disappointment. But, what's important is learning to accept the past and to look towards a bright future. It's overcoming those moments of weakness that make us stronger." He chuckled. "Why, you've come so far, Riku. Even if you may not feel it right now, but once you climb this mountain, you'll only be that much stronger."

"Not to mention, there's someone very close to you. I'm sure she's been feeling the same way too." Aqua smiled softly.

Riku sighed and nodded. "Kairi...she's been so hard on herself for the past month. She blames herself for everything. I hated seeing her talk down on herself like that when nobody could've stopped Sora from doing what he did. I didn't know what else to do other than be there for her when she felt alone."

"Sometimes that's all it takes. Having a strong heart that reaches out to another when they need it." Mickey smiled.

"Maybe. I know Sora and Kairi's hearts helped me see the light when I needed it. Your heart pulled me to it too. I remember when I had given into the darkness completely, and became Ansem. I went into hiding because I couldn't face anyone. Yet..." Riku chuckled and smiled softly. "Kairi was somehow able to see past that. It was like, she just...knew my heart...like nobody ever knew it before. Naminé reminds me of her in that way. She always sees past whatever flaws and insecurities I have. They both do."

Aqua giggled. "Well, in a way, you've acted as somewhat of a beacon of light for them. Your replica is the reason Naminé had a chance at life, and you've always been there for Kairi when she's needed the support."

"Ironic, right?"

"Not at all. A heart does need light and darkness to exist." Mickey shook his head. "You've just learned how to keep that balance in control."

"Yeah." Riku nodded affirmatively as he curled his hand into a fist and looked into the sky. "I guess that's all I can do now, act as a light for Kairi if she loses her way." He shut his eyes and inhaled deeply. "Just as she did for me, never once losing faith in me, no matter how deep in the darkness I dove. And...I'll keep my promise to the other me...I'll take care of Kairi."

"Kairi?" Mickey and Aqua asked in unison.

"Hm?"

"You said 'Kairi'. Didn't you mean Naminé?" Mickey asked, scratching the back of his head.

Riku cleared his throat and nodded. "Yeah, sorry." He stood up and stretched. "I guess that's my cue to try and get some rest."

"Right. We'll continue in the morning." Aqua let out a yawn as she lay down on the blanket that was sprawled out on the ground by the fire.

As Mickey and Aqua both said their goodnights to Riku, he decided to excuse himself for a moment, deciding to use the bathroom before settling in. He slowly paced down the rough pathway and around the corner of the tall cliff. Despite it being completely quiet and barren, it felt as if there was another presence close to Riku. He almost felt like he was being followed and stopped to examine the immediate area. When nothing seemed to appear, Riku sighed and shook his head. It wasn't until he heard the sounds of tiny pebbles being crushed my large feet that finally got his attention.

**It has been too long, boy…**

"What?"

Riku whipped his head around in multiple directions, searching for the source of the dark booming voice that echoed in the distance. His breathing became heavy as the air suddenly felt heavy and thick. He clenched his jaw as he leaned forward and saw Shadow Heartless materialize from the ground and surround him. As the Heartless began to crawl toward him, Riku summoned Braveheart, ready for the worst. They seemed to stay separated and weak, allowing him to charge at the shadows and instantly take them out with a couple hard swings with the Keyblade.

"Who's out there? Show yourself!" Riku yelled.

**You cannot escape it…**

Backing up in his tracks, Riku softly gasped at the voice echoing in his ears once again. It almost felt like there was a presence right behind him whispering it into his ear. He whipped around, once again noting there was nobody there. Riku finally swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat and dismissed his Keyblade. After jogging back to their campsite, he was finally able to heave a sigh in relief as he saw Aqua and Mickey sleeping soundly by the fire on their blankets. He chose to brush off whatever the voice was and get some rest. These journeys were always long and rigorous for him, no matter how much experience he had in the long run.

Riku coughed whatever dirt was left on his mouth, causing him to wake up to the early morning sun. He brushed his face clean and stretched his body out. Mickey and Aqua appeared to have been up for a while, but thanks to Riku not being able to sleep because of the haunting voice being on his mind, he slept in a little bit. He also didn't appreciate waking up in, for lack of a better term, a graveyard. It didn't bring him the same sense of peace that crossed his mind whenever he woke up at home on the island. Then again, what could he possibly expect from a battle site?

"Well, I don't know about you two, but I think we should head back home to talk to Terra about this. He and Xehanort were directly connected for many years. He's got to at least know a little about the Organization and its members." Aqua suggested. 

Mickey gasped. "Of course! It also might give us a major lead and who knows, it could lead us to finding Ven too."

"I hope so. I'm in agreement with Aqua here. I think we've kept this quiet for too long. We've already ran into a few swarms of Heartless already, and if we're gonna stop this threat before they get worse, we have to confront Xehanort's former members who made it past the war." Riku tossed his Keyblade into the air and allowed it to transform into his glider. "There's at least three that I know of."

"Terra, Isa, and Xion." Aqua listed as her armor appeared on her body.

Riku nodded. "Since Terra has had the closest connection to Xehanort, we should start with him first. Based on what he said, we can go see Isa in Twilight Town and see if he knows anything else."

"What about Xion?" Mickey asked.

"Even though Xion was definitely used as a revenge plot against Axel and Roxas, who was in Sora's heart at the time, I don't know how much she would know. Only because the heart that Even used to complete her was her heart from a time when she first arrived at the Organization. In other words, before her friendship with Axel and Roxas developed into what it is today, and before Xion started to have those dreams about Sora and Kairi." Riku pressed his hand against his pauldron and caused his armor to appear. "Whatever we can find out, it could help all of us and especially help Kairi."

Aqua nodded as she boarded her glider. "History does seem to enjoy repeating itself. If these last ten years have taught us anything, is that there's always something or _someone _in our way."

With Riku and Aqua on board their gliders and Mickey's jet pack equipped, the three took off soaring into the sky and towards the tunnel of light that formed. Riding a glider in the lanes-in-between proved to be quite the experience for Riku. He knew flying in the gummi ship was enough of a thrill, so this was a step up. It also felt empowering to have the freedom to travel through different worlds, something he had been yearning for since he was just a boy, and something he had to look forward to ever since his first fateful meeting with Terra on the beach in Destiny Islands. Now, he finally had it, but with the cost of risking his life with each new adventure.

The Land of Departure hadn't changed much in the year since Terra, Aqua, and Ven's departure to the Realm of Darkness. Despite Eraqus no longer being with them, the trio got along together just fine living at the academy. Riku disembarked his Keyblade glider and gazed upon the tall palace that only made him feel even more official, despite having never trained there. He rested his hand against his pauldron and removed his armor. He knew he'd have to get used to wearing the armor and the extra weight it was compared to normal duds, but now wasn't the time. Riku and Mickey followed Aqua into the main hall where she and Terra had their Mark of Mastery exam. Riku couldn't believe it. It looked like more than an academy thanks to its warm and rich architecture.

"I've said this once before and I'll say it again..." Riku marveled around inside. "This makes my high school look like a homeless shelter. Can't say I blame you for staying here for practically your whole life."

Aqua nodded. "The Land of Departure has served as a place for young wielders to train into Keyblade masters for generations. Master Eraqus and Xehanort both came here to pass their teachings onto new wielders after they completed their training."

"Xehanort...that's how he got close to Terra, huh?"

"We respected him as much as Master Eraqus."

Riku crossed his arms and sighed. "That explains a lot. Xehanort always seemed to know how to weasel his way into someone's heart by getting close to them. I was consumed by Xehanort's Heartless, and then he tried to use Sora as a vessel. Now that I think about it, I'm surprised he didn't try to go after Kairi."

"It's because Kairi's a Princess of Heart. So long as the light within her heart burns strong, she remains immune to that type of attack." Mickey mentioned with confidence.

"And if it doesn't?"

Mickey stopped in his tracks. "W-Well...I have yet to witness such a thing happening, but considering the worlds rely on the balance of light and darkness to carry on, it's up to the Princesses of Heart to retain their light to keep that balance. The princesses are connected, almost like a strand of Christmas lights. I'm almost sure that if one were to be consumed by the darkness, then like the strand of lights, the entire thing goes out."

Riku gasped. "What?"

"Oh! No need to panic, Riku!" Mickey waved his hands in front of him. "Like I said, I have yet to witness this. Besides, the hearts inside of the princesses are pure lights. It takes more than just simple cunning from a dark-minded person to manipulate a princess."

"Yeah…" Riku watched as Mickey walked ahead to catch up with Aqua. "I hope you're right, Mickey…"

Just outside, in the training grounds, Aqua spotted Terra from a distance. He was performing pull ups at a rather decent pace. Mickey instinctively wanted to catch his attention, but considering the young man was in deep concentration, decided he didn't want to disturb him. Meanwhile Riku couldn't help but smirk at Aqua's flustered gaze at Terra's shirtless appearance. The trio progressed down the stairs, hoping that Terra would just notice them and naturally come to a stop in his work out.

"Aqua!" Terra dropped himself onto the ground and hurried over to the group.. "Riku? Your majesty?"

"Good to see you, Terra! You're looking better than ever!" Mickey greeted enthusiastically.

"Thanks. My Keyblade got a little damaged a bit, so I left it in the shop in Radiant Garden. Hopefully it'll be done soon and then I can get back to work." He looked over at Riku and chuckled. "I see you finally got yourself your own Keyblade armor."

"Sure did. I owe you for this." Riku nodded his head with a smile.

"I appreciate the credit, but you did this all on your own, remember?"

"I...I guess?" Riku chuckled. "Either way, it's good to you've made it out of the Realm of Darkness in one piece."

"Did you guys find Ven?" Terra asked with a concerned look on his face. The other three shook their heads slowly. "Separated again..." 

Aqua stepped forward and rested her hands on Terra's shoulders. "We'll find him. Everybody knows about him. Kairi, Namine, and Xion found a possible clue that could help them find Sora, so they are gonna search for Ven while they're following that. "

"That being said. We do have questions that we need you to answer to the best of your ability. It could help us in finding Ven." Riku mentioned in a serious tone.

Mickey stepped forward, also a serious look on his face. "Terra, we need you to tell us as much as you can about the members of Xehanort's Organization XIII."

"Kairi said she saw someone who wielded a Keyblade and wore a coat that only the members wore." Aqua explained in a softened tone. "And the Heartless have started appearing again in the various worlds." 

"Hmm...I hope this isn't what I think this is…"

After retreating back into the academy, Terra had everyone sit down and tell him what was going on. Riku and Mickey explained everything, from Kairi's idea of how to bring back Sora, to the suspicious hooded figure she saw in Agrabah. They asked him about the original Organization and to recall as much information as he could. Terra disclosed information about the various members, including the twisted fact that some of them were from a completely different time period. At the end of the day, most of Organization XIII was made up of replicas, and that was about as far as Terra knew about them.

"I remember most of them being replicas, but do you...do you think it's possible that Xehanort had backup help?" Riku asked.

Terra sighed and pressed his fingertips against his temple. "Xehanort was always reminding us about the seven pure lights."

"The princesses…" Mickey muttered.

"If the seven guardians of light couldn't be assembled, the seekers of darkness were to clash with the Princesses of Heart."

"Maybe that was a backup plan, but I mean, do you think Xehanort had backup members?" Riku asked as he crossed his arms and leaned back. "At one point, he did consider Sora as a vessel. For him to still assemble all thirteen despite Mickey and I stopping him from taking Sora's heart, he had to have some members in mind as backups, right?"

"If he did, I never met a single one of them. I wouldn't be surprised though if he did try to go for either of you. I'm sure Roxas was also a candidate."

"Hmm...it sounds like Xehanort was trying to go after anyone who had a connection to Sora." Mickey folded his arms and paced back and forth.

"Kairi said the hooded figure was female. Who do we know who has a connection to Sora who is female?" Aqua asked as she rested a hand under her chin.

"Besides Kairi, Naminé and Xion are really the only ones. You have a somewhat indirect connection to him, but Naminé and Xion have been with Kairi the whole time since she left." Riku answered with a heavy sigh. "I...I've got nothing."

Aqua frowned at Riku's answer. "Why couldn't they be honest with her?"

Mickey stopped in his tracks and gasped. "Wait! Did anyone in Organization XIII have a direct connection to Kairi?"

Terra shook his head. "I don't think so. I think the closest member who had a connection to Kairi was Xion and the only other female member was Larxene."

"And Kairi doesn't have any sisters?"

"I don't think so, Mickey." Aqua answered in a disappointed tone.

"Once again...I've got nothing." Riku sighed in defeat.

"Sorry I couldn't be more helpful to you guys. I'll keep an eye out for this figure and let you know if I see anything." Terra apologized.

Aqua formed a small smile as she rested her hand on Terra's arm. "Don't be so hard on yourself. Just focus on being careful."

"Yeah, don't need a repeat of what happened ten years ago." He chuckled. "Even now, I still can't help but fault myself for that. Sometimes, I worry that it might happen again, you know?"

"You'll forgive yourself. You just need some time to heal, and it might take a while. Even my heart doesn't feel completely healed yet." Aqua noted.

Mickey nodded, a saddened look on his face. "We all have our fair share of healing to do. We've gained a lot, but we also lost something precious and important." He paused, everyone turning their attention to him. "Hope. Sora _was _the reason why neither one of us ever gave up when the road ahead got tough. He gave us all hope."

"Yep." Riku chuckled. "No matter what. He would just smile and continue on as if nothing could get in his way." He breathed deeply and curled his hand into a fist. "But we can't fault anybody for his decision. It's just who he is. He follows his heart, and his heart told him that he had one last chance to save Kairi, even if it cost him his own life." He looked towards Terra with the same firm look that Terra gave him when he was just a boy. "Terra, your heart will know the way too. As long as you can accept the darkness for what it is, you will learn to control it."

"What happened to that curious kid on the beach I met over ten years ago?" Terra asked with a chuckle.

"He listened to your advice and fought his own battle against the darkness. Now, we've both been given a second chance…"

"A second chance...wait! A second chance!" Mickey repeated. "Guys! That's it! Even though we defeated Organization XIII, Isa had somehow survived ever after he was defeated!"

"Of course, once Saix was defeated, he was reborn again as Isa." Riku groaned and stood up in a hurry. "Why didn't we think about that in the first place? Some of Xehanort's vessels were the recompleted personas of the original Organization XIII that were turned back into their Nobodies once they agreed to become a seeker."

"If that's the case, then it's very possible that one of those members was reborn, but could still have dark intentions." Mickey turned and looked toward the doors. "We'd better go talk to Axel and Isa about this."

Riku hopped up from his seat, instantly ready to jump into their next destination. His sudden move was interrupted by the vibration and sound of his gummiphone's ringtone going off. Curious about who was calling, he instantly pulled it out of his pocket and tapped the screen, softly gasping once Naminé appeared from the other line.

"Naminé? What's going on? Are you alright?" Riku answered.

Naminé nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine, Riku. We all are. I don't know if Kairi's already called you, but we have excellent news!" All four of them crowded around the screen and waited for her. "We found Ven!"

"Whaaaaat?" They all asked in unison.

"Well, technically Kairi found him, but Ven is here at the palace in Radiant Garden and he's safe!"

"That's such good news!" Aqua exclaimed.

"He wasn't in the best shape when he came in, but we have him in one of the guest rooms resting up. The girls and I are gonna be training with Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith for a few days so that Kairi can bounce back from her injury-" 

"Injury? What happened?" Riku asked, his voice raising.

"She...kinda got shot in the shoulder by a rifle…" Naminé sheepishly answered. "But she's over the worst of it and is gonna do some training to work her shoulder back into shape."

"Good…"

"While this is going on, we'll keep an eye on Ven and make sure he's taken care of."

"Okay, thanks Naminé. I'll see you soon."

Naminé giggled softly and waved. "Bye Riku, be safe!"

Terra smiled warmly. "I'm curious about what happened, but I'm just glad Ven is at least somewhere safe." 

"Yeah. If he's with the girls, he'll be in good hands." Riku nodded in agreement.

"You betcha!" Mickey cheerfully said as he held out a hand. "Now that we know Ven is okay, we can focus completely on solving this mystery! Let's move on out to Twilight Town."

"If you're both okay with it, I might make my way towards Radiant Garden and go meet up with Ven. I could also check on the girls for you since Twilight Town is in the opposite direction." Aqua suggested.

"I'll go with Aqua. I gotta pick up my Keyblade anyway." Terra nodded in agreement.

"Sounds like a plan. You ready to go, Mickey?"

"Yep! Let's go, Riku!"

"You two stay safe." Terra encouraged.

Riku and Mickey parted ways from Terra and Aqua following their goodbye. As much as they didn't want to part from Aqua again, Riku and Mickey knew they had to keep going. If they were going to keep their friends safe, they had to figure out who this threat was and track them down. It was right back on the road again. While travelling, Riku had just now begun to finally understand the true nature of a Keyblade master. It was more than a personal quest. It was a quest for the safety of all people and the desire to protect those that matter that came from his heart was what separated Keyblade masters from other warriors. He started to believe that if he were to truly embrace his title as Keyblade master, this wouldn't be his final quest.

Following a smooth landing, Riku and Mickey found themselves at the train station in Twilight Town. It was rather quiet at the station, as typically it was. Only a few locals here and there passed by between the tram commons, the station, and the tunnel that connected the town's two large districts. Riku instantly removed his armor to avoid causing a distract of anyone who was curious why someone in a dragon helmet suddenly showed up in town. The warm skies suddenly felt like a whiff of nostalgia as Riku suddenly began to think back to the year he spent with Ansem and Naminé trying to restore Sora's memories. Although the memories weren't necessarily the greatest, the payoff of Sora being able to finally wake up after his memories of Kairi returning to him, made it worth the sacrifice of giving in completely to the darkness.

Mickey could also recall the countless trips he made back and forth to and from Twilight Town back when he was investigating the original Organization XIII, as well as helping Riku out by looking after Sora following his awakening. He breathed deeply before suddenly bringing his mind back on track. He waved in the direction of the tram common, signaling Riku to follow him. The teen had begun to walk right beside the king, only to stop in his tracks.

"What is it, Riku?" Mickey asked as he turned around.

Riku shook his head. "Nothing. It just...feels like it's been a long time since I've been here, even though it was only a few months ago when I was last here to see if Roxas and Xion found anything in their memories."

"Well, time does feel like it's slowed down recently. But, be careful when you blink because time does indeed pass faster, the older you get!"

"Wait...you're not implying that I'm getting old, are you? I'm only 17!"

"Nope!" Mickey shook his head before laughing. "But your hair is looking kinda gray!"

"It's natural and hereditary!" Riku blushed out of embarrassment.

"Sorry, Riku! I couldn't resist!"

"Well, in all fairness, this trip has been a downer so far. I guess one of us has gotta be the one cracking the jokes since according to most grown ups on the island, my humor is like that of toast." He sarcastically remarked.

"You've got plenty of time to grow a sense of humor. Besides, you should just worry about being...well...you. Those who truly care about you will look past those little things."

Riku chuckled. "How is it you always know what to say?"

"Well, to tell you the truth, I don't. I just say what's on my heart, and you should too. You have nothing to hide around your friends or your loved ones! You just never know when one day, they're there, and then the next, they're gone…" Mickey said in a low tone. "I've learned that lesson, but indeed, the hard way."

"I have too, multiple times."

"But, there's no sense in letting the past slow us down. We can only keep moving forward."

Riku nodded and proceeded to follow Mickey down the hill that connected the station to the tram common. He never had a chance to really explore Twilight Town when he was helping Mickey search for Aqua, so it was only now that he was experiencing how the town had changed. It didn't change too much, but it felt different enough that it felt like a new world to him. The numerous scents of fresh seafood from Le Grand Bistro had begun to tease him like an attractive young lady wearing brand new perfume. Riku's stomach began growling, as did Mickey's. Even if they wanted to keep going, they knew it was best for them to stop for a meal break.

As they sat down at one of the outside tables and began to look at the menus, the sounds of their names somewhat echoed from a distance. Riku turned and noticed both Axel and Roxas jogging down the street in their direction. He couldn't help but be impressed that the two of them recognized him from a distance. Then again, not many Twilight Town locals had silver hair and were travelling with a large mouse that wore pants and big shoes.

"Yo! Riku!"

"Axel! Roxas!" Riku greeted the boys.

"Hey, what're you guys doing here?" Roxas asked as he leaned against a wall.

"Actually, we were looking for you, Axel. We would also like to talk to Isa if it's possible. We just stopped for a meal." Mickey answered.

"What's this about?" Axel asked as he scratched the back of his head. "If it's women trouble, I'm afraid we are not-"

"What? No! It has nothing to do with that!" Riku cut him off with his eyes as wide as apples, his face turning the same color. "No, it has to do with Xehanort and Organization XIII. We think you guys might be able to answer some questions for us."

Axel turned and shared an agreeing nod with Roxas. He had everyone stay there and decided to call Isa over to the restaurant. Lucky for them, it didn't take long for him to arrive. While Isa was never the brightest ray of sunshine in Twilight Town, he at least didn't have the same anger problems that he had in the Organization. However, that didn't stop him from being bothered by the fact that there was possibly somebody leftover from Organization XIII that was still lurking about and causing problems. If Isa could be honest, he just wanted to live a normal life again. Then again, for over ten years, his life was anything but normal.

"Wait! You mean to tell me that there's _still _somebody lurking about after Organization XIII's defeat. Look, I know that some of the members were recompleted just like I was. Where these members are, I have no idea. I could only speak for myself." Isa explained as he folded his arms.

"Well, say a member was recompleted, where would they appear?" Riku asked as he sipped his coffee.

"Probably where they were turned into a Nobody. I know in my case, as well as Dilan's, Aeleus', and Ienzo's case, that's where we ended up. Inside of that old man's lab." Axel answered with a shrug.

"But Lea, some of the Nobodies that Xehanort chose as vessels were hearts from the past. I wasn't supposed to disclose this, but some came from as far back as...well...the age of the first Keyblade war."

"Wait! Are you serious, Isa?" Axel sighed heavily and rubbed his temples. "I thought everything was supposed to get _easier _after the old geezer croaked, but APPARENTLY that's not gonna happen, now is it?"

Mickey shook his head. "Nope. I don't think life is quite that simple."

"But...you think it's possible that somebody is trying to reform the Organization even months after Xehanort's been defeated?" Roxas asked.

"Honestly, who knows at this point?" Riku shook his head, his tone voicing frustration. "I just wanna figure out who this person is before everything gets worse! If there is SOMEHOW another Xehanort out there, we need to do something with him. Not only could disaster happen again if we don't do anything, but we might be able to get a way to save Sora out of him."

Isa rested a hand under his chin. "Wait...I remember Xehanort working under the leadership of Ansem back in the lab. He was writing this report, and Ansem liked to keep his data saved on a computer. It might be a long shot, but maybe you should check the computer back in the old mansion. There might be something there on the computer."

"Yeah, you might be onto something, Isa." Roxas stood up from the table. "Hayner, Pence, and Olette are at the sandlot right now. Let's go get 'em. They're better with computers."

Riku and Mickey shared an agreeable nod before parting ways with Axel and Isa. Roxas led the two of them further downtown towards the sandlot. Riku could only vaguely remember observing Ansem work at his computer, but was still nowhere near as technologically literate compared to the folks of Twilight Town, especially Roxas' friends. If there was anyone in Twilight Town who knew his way around computers, it was Pence. Riku and Mickey hurried to the sandlot with Roxas, but found themselves entering the area at a bad time. Or, maybe it was a good time depending on whose point of view it was from.

Down in the dirt, Hayner's face was buried in the sand, but not by choice. There was a teen who appeared to be a couple years older than them and went by the name of Seifer, but was quite a shrimp compared to Riku. He stood on top of Hayner's back with his foot specifically on the back of his head. Judging by the blue club that was lying off to the side with another one being held by this particular jerk, the boys had just missed a Struggle match. Also judging by the results, maybe it was one worth missing. Neither Pence or Olette were having a good time watching Hayner get buried into the ground by Seifer, along with his own posse, made up of Rai and Fuu, watching with amusement from the side.

"Nice one, chicken wuss! You still think you can be top dog!"

"Who is he? He doesn't seem like a friendly face." Mickey remarked with a frown.

Roxas sighed and scratched the back of his head. "That's Seifer. Rai and Fuu are his crew. They're...problematic."

Hayner struggled to get up off the ground. "Seifer! For crying out loud you're cutting off my circulation!"

"Not until you say the magic words." Seifer snickered.

"You'd better say 'em, y'know?" Rai threatened.

Fuu turned around and noticed Riku, Roxas, and Mickey's presence. "Intruders!"

Seifer, as well as Pence and Olette, all looked to the side. He folded his arms and tapped his foot. "Look at what the cat dragged in."

"Excuse me?" Riku asked, feeling somewhat insulted.

Mickey folded his arms. "Hmph, I'm not one to correct others, but you oughta learn some respect and some manners, young man!"

"Learn some manners." Seifer mocked the king. "I didn't ask for an afterschool special."

Roxas stepped forward and curled his hand into a fist. "And we didn't ask for you to be a jerk. We're not looking for a fight. We're just looking for Hayner, Pence, and Olette."

"Hey guys…" Hayner mumbled from the ground.

"Seifer! Just let him go already!" Olette demanded. "You won the match! We get it!"

"Sorry, baby doll, but the winning conditions haven't been met yet."

"I'm not one to judge, but I don't like this kid one bit." Mickey muttered.

Riku twisted his face and shook his head. "Me neither. He reminds me of myself from two years ago."

"So? What's it gonna be, blondie?" Seifer asked as he pressed harder on the back of Hayner's head with his foot.

"Hey!" Riku ran forward and shoved Seifer off of Hayner. "I have a better idea. You stop being a jerk or I'll teach you a lesson in respect."

Seifer scowled and got close to Riku's face. "Is that a threat?" He asked, lowered his voice to a menacing whisper.

Riku snickered and ran a hand through his hair. "No, that was asking you out on a date." He answered sarcastically. "What do you think?"

"Fine! You wanna play hard, pretty boy? We'll play hard. One on one, right here in the lot. The loser has to leave my town and never come back."

"Fine by me."

"Riku! I don't think this is-" Mickey attempted to intervene.

"Don't worry, your majesty. I'll only hurt him _a little_." Riku snickered as Pence handed him a Struggle club.

With both boys armed with their clubs, Riku and Seifer each retreated to the other side of the lot. Rai counted down before the battle could start. Once the timer was up, Riku immediately charged, as did Seifer, both of their clubs clashing hard against each other. As much as he hated to admit it, Riku noticed that Seifer did know his way around swordplay, even if he wasn't a trained Keyblade wielder or master. He held his club up as Seifer wailed on him with hard swings. While Riku was used to being smacked around by a Keyblade, it didn't make getting hit by a club any less painful.

Riku grunted as Seifer tripped his opponent, sending him falling hard. Everyone else cheered for him from the sidelines as he hopped back up instantly charged at Seifer. Now with Seifer's cockiness at its peak, Riku used this to his advantage. He relied on how limber he was in battle and was able to jump and avoid any counter attacks Seifer may have had up his sleeve. Riku began smacking his club towards Seifer, whose face spelled out 'danger'. Now, he was the one caught off guard as he struggled to defend himself from Riku's powerful swings. As much as Riku wanted to just cast a powerful magic spell to finish the _real _chicken wuss off instantly, he held back as his goal was only to teach Seifer a lesson and not necessarily kill the kid, as tempting as that sounded.

Seifer and Riku clashed Struggle clubs a number of times before Riku finally sidestepped out of the way, causing his opponent to stumble forward, nearly losing his footing. Out of the corner of his eye, Seifer saw Riku charge towards him, but it was too late. Riku smacked him with the club, followed by consecutive vertical and horizontal swings, resulting in a painful combo that sent Seifer plummeting back down to the ground, face flat. Riku held his finishing pose for a moment, giving the spectators a chance to process what had just happened. A champion Struggle fighter defeated by an outsider? It was unheard of in the town.

"That...was insane, y'know?" Rai yelled.

"Concluded!" Fuu called out.

Riku lowered his club and looked down at Seifer. "You'd best think twice before messing with my friends like that again." He decided to spare the brat and cast a Curaga spell on him, allowing him to somewhat recover from the battle, only with a minor headache now. As was typical of Seifer, he brushed off Riku and left the battle site without a word, Rai and Fuu following close behind him.

"Hey! Great job there, Riku!" Pence complimented as he and Olette ran up to him.

Olette giggled. "I don't think Seifer's gonna mess with us anymore."

"Yeah, but I still lost…" Hayner complained.

Roxas laughed and patted his friend on the back. "Hey, you can beat me up later if it'll make you feel better."

"Nah, it's cool." He playfully punched Roxas in the arm.

Riku chuckled. "Well, I'm glad I was able to get Seifer off your case, and I hate to ruin your day off, but the king and I kinda need a favor from you guys."

"It has something to do with Ansem's computer over in the mansion." Mickey pointed out.

Pence smiled widely. "The computer? Say no more! We know a thing or two about computers!"

"Thanks."

One major thing that changed about Twilight Town since Riku's last visit, was the path taken to the old mansion. Unfortunately, the old hole in the wall that the kids were used to taking was patched up and Riku didn't rely on dark paths to transport himself anymore. This meant them travelling through the sewers and it was anything but pleasant. Riku was lucky in growing up on an island that stayed rather clean, so travelling through sewers was arguably one of the worst experiences of his life. The entire time, he held his breath and kept wishing for them to be out of it. The one time he wished he could still use dark paths to travel.

The mansion had still remained in the same location once the gang was out of the sewers and in the forest. Riku stopped briefly in his tracks and recalled back to that meeting he had with Mickey, the one where he made the king promise that he wouldn't let Sora find him due to feeling ashamed of what he had become. The mansion had retained that same haunting atmosphere. He couldn't help but look up into the window where Naminé used to spend most of her days helping restore Sora's memories. It was almost as if nothing had changed from a year ago. Here Riku was, without his best friend, trying to investigate a threat while also trying to help save Sora.

Lucky for the kids, the mansion was left unlocked. Even if it was, Olette had become a genius at picking locks with bobby pins. Pence led everyone else down the stairs from the library, where Ansem's computer remained in its spot in the secret basement. Riku was amused by the way Pence sat himself down and began tapping away at the keyboards and screens like computers were a second nature. Ansem's computer booted up and asked for a password, which was still, "sea-salt" ice cream. Mickey couldn't help but wonder if Ansem should consider changing his password since so many now know what it is.

"So, what exactly are we looking for?" Olette asked.

"Ansem liked to keep his data saved on his computer, and since Xehanort was an apprentice of his, we're trying to see if we can dig up some information regarding the Organization that might've been saved on the computer as well." Riku explained.

Mickey nodded. "There's a possibility that one of Xehanort's seekers survived and we're trying to figure out who it could be, which could lead to use tracking their location."

Hayner sighed and shook his head. "This Xehanort guy just needs to move on already."

"Hmm...let's see…" Pence began typing on the keyboard. "Let me type in 'Xehanort'..." He entered it only to get very little responses. "Doesn't seem like there's a lot on Xehanort himself. Whatever is on here, has to do with Roxas and his relationship with Organization XIII. Maybe if I type in…'Organization XIII'..."

Riku folded his arms as he watched the computer. "Maybe Destiny Islands _should _update their technology a bit."

"Okay...it looks like there's more information on Organization XIII, but again, a lot of it has to do with Roxas." Pence skimmed the screen.

Hayner jabbed Roxas in the arm with his elbow. "Dang Roxas, who knew you were so popular?"

"Am not!"

"Wait, if Kairi was the one who saw this person you're looking for. Maybe try typing in her name?" Olette suggested.

Pence typed away at the computer before entering it in. "Well...there's definitely data here involving Kairi, and there's a heavy focus in her connections with Sora and Naminé and...wow, there's a lot of data that relates to her and her life in Radiant Garden here...How does Ansem know all of this?"

Riku studied the screen as images of a young Kairi popped up. "Interesting...Kairi always mentioned that she couldn't really remember anything from her past. This has me curious now. Did she really lose her memory or was her memory _taken _from her?"

"Hmm...if Kairi did have her memory taken from her, then this could possibly mean Xehanort was trying to hide something about her. Could this have anything to do with her?" Mickey asked as he skimmed the screen.

"Maybe, but we won't know until we figure out this person first. We'll have to crack this mystery later. Pence, try looking up Sora's name. Xehanort seemed to be going after vessels that had a direct connection to him."

"Okay...So...ra…" Pence muttered to himself. "Wow, there's A LOT here on Sora. It's...practically his entire life...all in data. Memories, relationships, major life events, it's all here."

"Yeah, when Naminé was restoring Sora's memories a year ago, Ansem recorded all of his data into this computer. Ienzo mentioned that Ansem also had Sora's data on his computer in Radiant Garden."

As if timing couldn't have been more perfect, Riku's gummiphone had begun to go off again. This time when he answered, it wasn't Naminé, but Kairi. She had called him from Ansem's lab in Radiant Garden, where she was with Ienzo and Even.

"Riku?" Kairi answered from the other line.

"Kairi! How's your shoulder?"

"How did you…?"

" Naminé told me. So, are you okay?"

Kairi nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright. Listen, Ienzo had a plan in mind, but I'm not sure how I feel about it, so I wanted your input. It's...about Sora."

"What about Sora?" Riku asked, becoming intrigued.

"Riku, if Even can create a new empty vessel, we can use the data of Sora's memories that Ansem has saved on his computer to reconstruct Sora's heart. It'd be identical to the process we underwent for Roxas. The only obstacle we'd have is that we might be missing some of Sora's most recent memories, but I'm sure we can find a solution to that." Ienzo explained.

"A replica…" Riku muttered. "Just like Roxas, Naminé, and Xion. Even my other self. So, what you're saying is that it'd be like…" 

"Just like me…" Roxas whispered. "Even if it's a replica, it would still be Sora, wouldn't it?"

Kairi sighed. "I...I don't know…Riku?"

Riku remained silent for a moment. Ienzo wasn't wrong. That was a simple way to save Sora. All they had to do was reconstruct his heart and it would've been almost like Sora had never vanished. Yet, there was a part of him that felt this wasn't the right way to go about it. He wanted to believe Kairi that Sora was maybe out there somewhere or maybe there was a way to save him properly. However, what if Kairi's efforts resulted in nothing? What if the only option to save Sora was to create a replica. Would it still be the same Sora? Would it still be the same kid he spent many summers bumming out on the beach with? Would it still be the same friend who he risked everything for? Sure, Riku and Kairi would have Sora back again, but at what cost? The _real _Sora never having another chance at life?

Despite all of his doubts, Riku thought back to his own replica. He thought back to the memories that Naminé had created for the replica. Even if they weren't real to anyone else, they still belonged to the replica. He still had a heart and a body. He was just as much of a human as he was. Maybe this new Sora would be the same thing? Even if it was a _different _Sora. He would still be a human who had Sora's heart, or rather, a heart made up of Sora's data. What if the real Sora was saved after the replica was created? Would the replica simply disappear? Or would he have a chance to have his own life and maybe have his own memories? Roxas, Naminé, and Xion were technically replicas, and they were still just as much their friends. As much as he didn't have to, Riku couldn't help but consider all of these factors that could affect not just a replica's life, but his and Kairi's lives.

"Replicas...they are human, and they take the form of the heart inside the vessel." Riku repeated to himself. He rested a hand over his own heart. "Just like anyone else, replicas have their own memories and their own purpose in life. Yet, because of what they are, they're typically not given a fair chance."

"Riku? What are you saying?" Olette asked.

Riku sighed, shutting his eyes and breathing deeply. "Ienzo...if Sora's heart is reconstructed… would he have the same memories?"

"Well, initially, the data we have here on file is from when he woke up a year ago after his memories were replenished. That being said, we would be missing some of his more recent memories-"

"So by the time this 'Sora' wakes up, if we don't fill in the missing memories, then that means he's gonna known nothing about Organization XIII, he's going to think that I'm still left in the Realm of Darkness, and he's gonna think Kairi's back home safe on the island." Riku recalled.

Mickey thought for a moment. "It does seem like a risky move, but what if it's our only option?"

Kairi sighed. "That's what I'm worried about. I just...I'm not sure if I feel right about it…"

"Neither do I." Riku nodded in agreement. "But if it _is _our only option of having Sora with us again...just like that was Roxas, Naminé, and Xion's only choice…" He breathed deeply. "Ienzo, start work on the replica."

"R-Riku…?" Kairi stammered, feeling a lump in her throat.

"Kairi, I don't want you to quit what you're doing. I still think it's possible we can save him. But, we need to at least have a second option."

Ienzo groaned as he typed away on Ansem's computer. "Well...we have a bit of a problem here. It looks like somebody hacked into the computer and deleted Sora's data."

"WHAAAAT?" Everyone asked in unison.

"Whoever did this is going to get something shoved up their-" Even yelled as he smacked his hands against the keyboard.

"Even! Be careful with the computer!" Ienzo scolded his partner. He sighed and took the phone from Kairi, looking into the screen. "Riku, is everyone there still logged into the computer?"

"Yep. We have some of Sora's data pulled up."

"Okay, I need you to do something very important for me. The only way we can move forward with this procedure is if we get Sora's data from that computer to this one here."

Riku nodded. "Okay, that's great, but how do we do that?"

"Well, there's an unsafe way to do it and then there's a safe way to go about it. The unsafe way is to try and set the data through the datascape to Ansem's other computer, but then there's the risk that by crossing worlds, the data could either be corrupted, damaged, or lost. The safe way is to download everything onto a disc and hand deliver it to the lab." Ienzo explained as he tapped his fingers impatiently on the computer. "But with that in mind, this data has to be password-protected, otherwise, we risk losing this data."

"I'll change the password right now." Pence said as he began clicking on the settings screen, sending him to the password change prompt. "Any suggestions for a password?"

"Make sure it's something that nobody would be able to guess." Hayner encouraged. "But...something that'll make us remember that it's relevant to Sora."

Kairi, who had been listening to the conversation, finally spoke up. "Oathkeeper. That's the password, Oathkeeper."

Olette smiled and nodded. "I like it. It's got a nice ring to it."

"Anybody oppose to it?" Pence asked. Everybody shook their heads in response. "Alright then. O-A-T-H-K-E-E-P-E-R. Oathkeeper. And…" He clicked the save button on the prompt screen and threw his hands behind his head. "Password changed. Make sure Ansem knows about it."

Ienzo nodded affirmatively. "Great. Now, put an empty disc into the drive and then you will want to drag the folder containing all of Sora's data onto the disc icon. That'll start the transfer process."

"No problem." Pence chuckled confidently as he inserted a disc in. Everyone watched as he began to drag the folder to the disc icon. "Alright...and...it has begun! Now...how long is this gonna take?" He watched as the download bar went up a miniscule and the 'time remaining' appeared on the screen. "167 HOURS? THAT'S SO LONG!"

"We can't all be here for four days! We have school!" Hayner argued.

Olette frowned and folded her arms. "Guys! We're doing this for Sora!"

"Yeah...that's true...I guess we'll have to keep an eye on this in shifts…" Pence sighed in defeat.

"It's 16 years worth of data, what did they expect?" Even asked from the other line. "That's why it's such a nuisance to transfer it!"

Ienzo laughed sheepishly. "Well, it's a start. Just make sure that nothing happens during that process. If anything happens during the transfer, the data will be damaged."

Mickey exchanged a concerned look with Riku. "If that's the case, we'd better stick around here and make sure this area stays safe."

Riku nodded in agreement. "Kairi. You keep doing what you need to do. Keep looking for those seashell pieces."

"Okay, I will."

"Riku, you and I can keep in touch during this process." Ienzo assured him.

"Okay, thanks Ienzo."

Riku looked down at the phone screen and noticed Kairi's face. A mix of fear and hurt spread across, almost as if she were listing off numerous ways this plan could go horribly wrong. While Riku wasn't completely confident in moving forward with it. He knew that if it came down to it being their only option, they would both be happier with having the replica around than never having Sora in their lives ever again.

"Kairi, we'll find make _something _work out. Whether it's by using your lucky charm or by creating a replica. You and I both know that we're not gonna stop until we have Sora back in some way shape or form, okay?" Riku encouraged.

Kairi sighed and nodded her head. "I hope you're right, Riku…"

**A/N: This ending part of my fic makes me wanna go back and watch the Twilight Town cutscenes in KH3 again just so I can watch Sora fall asleep out of boredom and also listen to him say, "I can't computer" again. #SAVESORA**


	23. Bonds of Friendship

**A/N: Happy first day of September! And hope everyone's having a good Labor Day weekend! Oh yeah, btw, I'm in Florida and Hurricane Dorian is probably coming this way, so if I disappear for a while, that's why, hehe...**

Chapter 23: Bonds of Friendship

"Remember Naminé...inner peace…" Aerith softly whispered.

Naminé nodded as she closed her eyes and gripped her Keyblade tightly. Much like Xion and Kairi, she had been doing her own share of training. Despite training for a few days straight, it did feel like a nice break for the girls since the Heartless seemed to be leaving Radiant Garden alone for the most part. Between Aerith doing healing treatments and physical therapy with Leon and Rinoa, Kairi's shoulder was nearly back to the way it was before. It was still recommended to try and not overstrain it, however. Xion, on the other hand, was working on agility with Yuffie since she was so brittle that a major hit from an enemy could knock her out, and Kairi was working on a few more advanced Keyblade techniques with Leon. She even managed to learn a Reflect spell.

With Aerith being more specialized in magic, she chose to teach Naminé some spells that would have some...interesting effects on her enemies. She was learning plenty of magic spells that could either do damage or enhance her and the girls, but as Aerith put it, only the most skilled mages learn and master these particular spells. Naminé focused in on her current opponent, a rat that was in a cage. Aerith liked to use rats as a way to teach these special magic spells as a way to prevent from harming people or domestic pets like cats and dogs. The rat continued to scurry around the cage, stopping in place occasionally and twitching its nose.

"Okay...Confusion!" Naminé yelled as she cast a confusion spell on a rat. The rat suddenly began began to pant and wag its tail. It came up to the cage and began barking like a dog. "I got it!"

"Good work! You've learned so much! Sleep, Silence, Blind, and Confusion are all going to come in handy with tougher enemies." 

"It's amazing what a few days' worth of training can do." Naminé rested a hand over her chest. "To be honest, I was starting to consider staying here and not continuing on with Kairi and Xion. I want to help them save Sora, especially since...well...I don't really deserve his kindness and care after what happened in the past. But, I've honestly felt like more of a burden than a helper. I feel like I'm just barely grasping this Keyblade stuff down."

Aerith nodded. "Even if physical strength isn't your forte, you are really good with magic. Maybe you should focus more on that during your battles and leave the close-range attacks to Kairi and Xion. Besides, there's much more to helping a friend out than strength. I'm sure you're exactly what Kairi needs."

"Yeah, I know she's had a rough time. Riku's been having a rough time too." Naminé set her Keyblade down and rested underneath the large tree. "Now that I think about it, should I feel guilty for not being there for Kairi _enough_? I saw Riku numerous times the last few months, but I hardly saw Kairi after she woke up. I wanted to see her more, but she just didn't seem to want anyone else around."

"Grief can be handled in many different ways. Sometimes we shut ourselves away from the world. Sometimes we want everyone around. Sometimes we don't know how to handle it and lose ourselves. Sometimes...when we lose someone, there's an empty feeling inside, and the heart yearns for someone to fill it."

"An empty space…" Naminé muttered to herself. She pressed a hand against her chest and shut her eyes. _Is it possible that's what my heart is doing? I was so alone...and...had nobody...and you…_

"Naminé?" Aerith intervened when she noticed how quiet Naminé had become.

"I-I'm...sorry…"

"You have nothing to apologize for. Why don't we go show everybody what you've accomplished?"

Naminé nodded, picking up her Keyblade. She reached into her pocket and pulled out the star charm she had been carrying. Her eyes gazed down on it as she followed slowly behind Aerith. As much as she hated to admit it, her heart was hurting, just like Kairi's. Just like it wasn't fair for Sora to lose his life the way he did, it wasn't fair to the Riku replica to sacrifice his existence for her. Much like she was given a chance to have a normal life and be her own person, Naminé felt like he deserved it as well. She sighed and put the charm away before running to catch up with Aerith, who was approaching the area where Kairi was training with Leon and Rinoa.

Unlike Aerith, who used rats to teach Naminé new magic spells, Leon was having Kairi practice her new techniques on dummies and targets, an old school way for warriors to train for combat. Naminé's eyes widened as she saw how beaten up the dummies and targets looked. She knew then and there that Kairi was working her way to being a force to be reckoned with. If there was anyone who was going to try and stop her from saving Sora, it wasn't going to be a good time for them. She watched from the sidelines as Kairi launched her Keyblade forward, but completely missing the target and having it whirl right back to her.

"Okay...remember, keep an eye on your target." Leon said in a low tone. "Channel that energy into the Keyblade…"

"Got it…" Kairi exhaled deeply. She held her Keyblade to the side and shut her eyes as she channeled the aquatic magic to it. Once she could feel the water pulsing in her hand, Kairi threw her Keyblade at the practice target, allowing it to return to her like a boomerang. She repeated it multiple times until all the targets were taken down. "I got it!"

"Good work. You've done well." Rinoa applauded.

Naminé laughed and hopped up and down. "That was amazing, Kairi!"

"Thanks, guys." Kairi laughed sheepishly and brushed hair behind her ear.

"Hey Leon! How about we put these two against each other?" Yuffie suggested as she entered the area with Xion right beside her. "This babe can move now! She won't be taking hits like crazy anymore!"

"You mean you taught her how to move three feet out of the way from an oncoming attack?" Leon asked sarcastically.

"Ha...funny…"

Xion chuckled and shrugged. "I don't mind testing out what I've learned."

"Sure! Why not? My shoulder's feeling like it's ready for battle again." Kairi agreed.

As soon as the girls took their positions on opposite sides of the battlefield, Yuffie began counting them down. Kairi gripped her Keyblade tightly, ready to charge. It had been several months since the last time she fought against Xion and even if this was a friendly sparring match compared to the fight to the death in the Keyblade Graveyard, they were both looking forward to seeing how each of them have grown since then. As Yuffie threw her hand down from the air, both girls sprinted toward each other and clashed their Keyblades, determined to outwit the other.

Everyone watched with anticipation, Naminé especially. She almost instinctively flinched in place every time the sharp noise of clashing blades echoed in her ears. Both Kairi and Xion had proved to become quite competent fighters, not just from their training, but from experience. Xion backflipped as Kairi swung towards her before suddenly countering, knocking the redhead back. Kairi grunted from the impact of Xion's attack, but managed to shake it off. She began to sidestep closer towards Xion before ducking down and performing a Slide Dash, knocking her off her feet. Leon and Yuffie both nodded with amusement, impressed by each other's work with the girls.

"You didn't do half bad, Leon." Yuffie complimented.

Leon snickered. "Same to you. Maybe these two can enter the battle royale tournament during the restoration festival."

"Festival?" Naminé inquired.

"We're having a festival in a few weeks to celebrate the official completion of restoring Radiant Garden to what this world once was and more." Aerith explained with a warm smile. "It's taken two years, but we finally finished and want to celebrate."

"That sounds like fun! We'll have to come back and check it out!" Naminé laughed. "Hopefully these two won't kill each other before then."

Xion bounced back up from the ground and held up her Keyblade to block a Fire spell that Kairi had cast. After her successful block, Xion shuffled back numerous times, dodging Kairi's swings in succession. Leaping from her feet, Xion countered back with a number of Blitz attacks. Kairi dodge rolled out of the way before launching her Keyblade towards Xion with the Hydro Raid attack that she had recently nailed down and wanted to practice. Unfortunately, her weapon completely missed thanks to both her lackluster aim and Xion sliding off to the side, and Kairi had realized that Yuffie had built Xion's agility up a crazy amount.

As Kairi's Keyblade began to whirl its way back to her, Xion began charging towards her. Kairi had begun charging back, only to stop in her tracks. She had noticed Rinoa subtly flirting with Leon out of her peripheral vision. For whatever reason, it was enough to distract her and make her forget that Xion was coming at her. Without any chance of dodging or blocking the attack, Kairi was knocked back with great force. She grunted in pain and flipped back before landing smack hard on the ground.

"Kairi! You okay?" Xion hurried over and knelt beside her. "I'm so sorry!"

Kairi groaned and held her head while sitting back up. "Yeah…" She picked up her Keyblade and cast a Cure spell on herself, ridding herself of her discomfort.

"Be cautious, and don't get distracted. It could cost you your life." Leon firmly advised.

"Right...sorry. Maybe I'm just...hungry or something."

Rinoa nodded. "Go ahead and take a break. We'll test you on some of your new techniques later."

Kairi dried off her sweaty body with a towel before putting her dress back on. Her stomach began growling as soon as she stepped foot off the training grounds. Even if she used hunger as an excuse for her messing up and getting tossed by Xion, it was now starting to catch up with her. With all of the shops and eateries open for business, the tempting scents were now competing for Kairi's taste buds. Should she dive into tavern for some fish 'n chips? _Nah, too greasy._ What about a nice sandwich or some shepherd's pie at the local cafe? _Hmm, maybe another time. _It looked like the butcher was stringing some spicy sausages. Kairi did have a knack for enjoying meat despite how skinny she was. Maybe a banger on a fresh roll? _Not feeling it today_. She sighed as she spun around the central square.

Finally, Kairi's eyes were set upon a perfect marriage of deliciousness and nostalgia. There was a bakery, famously known for cakes, cookies, and bread. A kaleidoscope of colorful cupcakes lined up the display window and attracted Kairi like a five-year-old. She dragged her feet to the bakery, her mouth practically watering at the thought of warm moist cake against her tongue. After holding the door open for some young children who were just as eager as she was to get their hands on one of the shop's famous treats, Kairi immediately began trying to decide what she wanted. Sure, she was having dessert before dinner, but she wasn't with her parents, so who cares, right?

"Mmmm, everything looks so delicious." Kairi gasped.

"Excuse me, miss?" A young man in his 20s approached the counter from behind. He had a small piece of cake in a cup and held it out to her. "Would you be willing to try this? It's a new recipe."

"Sure!" Kairi took the piece of chocolate cake and popped it into her mouth. She sighed at as the rich flavor of chocolate and hazelnut melted into her mouth. "Mmmm, this is delicious! Chocolate and hazelnut is a perfect combination! Might I recommend a mocha-flavored frosting and then it's perfect!"

"Mocha...I like that. I like the way you think." The young man took down some notes in a notebook. "Great, this will be one of my new recipes that I'll debut at the restoration festival. Thanks, what's your name?"

"Kairi."

"Pleasure to meet you. I'm Ignis. Welcome to my shop."

"I love your shop! Everything here looks delicious!" Kairi sighed as her conflicting eyes scanned around the different shelves.

Ignis chuckled. "Thanks. I'm always trying new things. It's always satisfying when I come up with a new recipe."

"Well, keep it up! You're very talented!"

"Well, aren't you sweet." He smiled and leaned against the caseline. "So, what can I get you today?"

"Hmm…" Her eyes scanned the case line until they landed on a cupcake that was topped with white buttercream frosting and a strawberry. "Oooh, may I have the strawberry cream cheese cupcake, please?"

"Here you go, my dear! The last one too!" Ignis proudly gave her the cupcake.

"Thank you!" She handed her munny.

Ignis lightly nudged Kairi's hand away and shook her head. "Nah, this one's on the house. Come by anytime."

"Okay, thanks again!"

With her cupcake in hand, Kairi walked out of the bakery, ready to eat. Before she could take a bite, she looked down and noticed a small child staring into the window. She noticed that he was quite skinny and had some holes in his worn shirt. It gave her a sharp pain in her stomach. Even if Kairi didn't know who this child was, it didn't take a genius to know this child didn't have the best living conditions. Kairi sighed and formed a weak smile before walking over to him. She tapped on his shoulder, only for him to flinch and turn around, gasping and backing away. He stared up at her with big brown eyes and twiddled his hands.

"Aww, you must be hungry. Here, you can have mine, okay?" Kairi giggled as she knelt down and handed the cupcake to the child.

The child took the cupcake as his eyes darted between it and Kairi's eyes. He smiled widely and laughed before running away. She watched as he ran across the street over to a little girl close to his age, assuming to be his sister based on her noticeably skinny build and faded clothing. Kairi simply sighed, unbeknownst to her that Ven was approaching her from behind.

"That was really nice of you."

"Oh! Ven! Hey!" Kairi hopped to her feet, surprised to see him. "You're looking a lot better than you did a couple days ago."

"Guess a couple days of sleep and nourishment was enough to get me on my feet. Who would've thought that was enough?"

"You've still got a couple bruises and cuts." She pointed out with concern.

Ven nodded and shrugged. "They're no big deal. How's your shoulder?"

Kairi smiled widely and hopped over to the fountain. "Much better! I had the bandage taken off this morning and I started learning some advanced Keyblade techniques!"

"That's great! Before you know it, you'll be a Keyblade Master too!" Ven laughed as he joined her.

"Me? A master? I'm far from a master. I'm just trying to get stronger, that's all."

"You'll get there. You're already pretty strong as it is."

"You think so? Even with the amount of times I've gotten my friends into dangerous situations?" Kairi asked with her head held low.

Ven nodded while curling his hand into a fist. "Yeah, of course, you are." He said softly. "Listen, I know you feel like this is your fault, and I know it gets old hearing that from friends, but...with how much you've been through...and you're still here, that takes a lot of strength."

"Thanks Ven. I'm just so set on saving Sora, and not disappointing the people I love. I've never felt so determined in my entire life." She held a hand to her heart, listening to Ven burst out laughing. "What's so funny?"

"You really haven't changed a bit. You always were a perfectionist when you were little. Whenever you mispronounced a word and someone corrected you, you always got so offended!"

"Y-Yeah…"

"You also became pretty stubborn." He teased.

"I have not!" Kairi relapsed, red in the face.

"See?"

Kairi groaned and turned her back to Ven, crossing her arms. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Ven sighed dramatically and threw his hands behind his head. "Oh no, Kairi is ignoring me. Whatever shall I do?" He asked rhetorically before reaching a hand out and tickling her side, causing her to squeal. "And you became ridiculously ticklish!"

"Okay! Okay! You win!" She sighed in defeat. "Wait a minute, Ven," Kairi tilted her head. "How do you know all this?"

"My heart was inside of Sora's for the same amount of time that you two have known each other, just about. I've practically watched you grow up." Ven chuckled as he leaned back and looked into the sky. "You've...come a long way. Much longer than you think. You never stopped believing in your friends, so don't forget to believe in yourself too, okay?"

Kairi smiled warmly and nodded. "Thanks, Ven."

"Oh! Here!" Ven reached around and pulled out a cupcake identical to the one Kairi gave away. "I saw you give yours away. I'm sure you're hungry, so here, you can have mine" He held the cupcake out to her.

"Really?" She took the cupcake and examined it. "Thanks Ven, but…" She softly giggled. "How about we share it?" Kairi pulled the cupcake perfectly in half and handed a half to Ven.

Ven nodded as he took the half. The two of them tapped their cakes together before taking a bite. Kairi softly moaned as the strawberry mousse lingered in her mouth complimented the sponge cake and vanilla buttercream frosting. Ven had the same reaction, even going so far as to down the whole thing after the first bite. Kairi also finished her half, accidentally leaving some frosting on her lips. She looked over at Ven, who noticed the frosting on her face and tried to hold back laughter. After realizing what he was laughing at, her face began to flush pink of embarrassment only to start laughing along with him.

"Those are so good! My favorite!"

"Mine too!" Kairi sighed as she wiped her lips clean. "You know, Sora and I used to get these all the time when we were kids. We'd go to the local bakery and we were the owner's favorite customers and he knew how much we loved these!"

Ven nodded. "I remember! You always had the biggest smile on your face after leaving the bakery." He laughed softly. "You smiled a lot back on the island."

"Well, I was happy there. Even if it felt like something was missing, I was still happy there."

"Give it time, you'll be back home with everyone before you know it." He encouraged her. "I _know _you can do this, and I'll have your back the whole time."

"Really? You promise." Kairi asked, smiling weakly.

"Yeah, promise." He reached forward and rested a hand on Kairi's arm. "I know it can seem scary and overwhelming, and you have a lot on your shoulders, but you don't have anything to worry about. I'll keep you safe."

Kairi gasped as she looked into the boy's face and saw that it was no longer Ven's. Sora was there, gazing intensely into her eyes, with a confident smile that always touched her heart. For a moment, she felt like she had lost all feeling in her arms and head. She held it as she began to feel slightly dizzy.

"Kairi? You okay?" Ven asked.

"Y-yeah...sorry…" Kairi nodded and hopped from the fountain. "I...I should probably go...I'm kinda tired anyway."

"Oh...okay, no worries. You get your rest."

Kairi dismissed herself before excusing herself from the central square. Once she was out of sight from Ven, her walking speed picked up. The first thing that came to mind was trying to find someplace private where she could hide and not be around people. Kairi's first choice was to run back into the palace, but there was always that possibility of someone suspecting something was wrong if she was hiding in her room. At least if she found a quiet place outdoors, it would be less obvious and nobody would bother her.

The palace gardens came into Kairi's view. She was immediately drawn to them, almost as if little spirits were guiding her there. A dandelion flew towards her and slowed down, floating in place, before keeping going. It was peculiar to Kairi considering how constant the wind was. She shrugged it off and instead, went and sat in the flowers. The colors of red, yellow, and pink all caught her eye as the calming sensation of nostalgia soothed her into a meditative state. The sweet scent of the different colored plants sent her into a fantasy she remembered reliving countless times in her childhood.

In the fantasy, a young Kairi was running through a field made up exclusively of dandelions. She was chasing what appeared to be a baby jaguar cub. Why a jaguar cub? Kairi couldn't tell anyone. There were no jaguars in Radiant Garden. The cub was playfully guiding her through the field up until he suddenly hid out of sight. Kairi would look around for her little friend, only for the bright suddenly day to become a sky full of dark billowing clouds, almost as if a torrential storm were approaching. Kairi gasped as thunder cracked, causing all of the dandelions to suddenly fly away. She watched the flowers fly past her and off towards would only be whatever was beyond the outside world.

What remained of the floating dandelions was nothing more than a wasteland. There was no sign of life other than her. Even the jaguar wasn't normal. The cub had now suddenly become fully grown and was now glowing like a spirit would. It sat down several yards away from Kairi and only watched her. Once she turned and made intense eye contact with the beast, the jaguar turned and went sprinting off until it was out of sight. Kairi could only sigh, further confused at what was going on. She stood in the middle of the dark wasteland until she looked ahead and saw what could only be a single dandelion floating towards her. No, it didn't float, it flew. It flew right for her. Kairi held out her hands and caught the dandelion in her small hands and cradled it gently. She gazed down on the small yellow flower until she looked up and saw what could only be thousands of dandelions floating towards her.

It would be at this point, that the dream would come to an end and Kairi would either continue to sleep or she'd wake up.

"Kairi!"

Kairi, cut off from her fantasy, looked over and saw Aqua walking towards her. "Terra! Aqua! Are Riku and King Mickey with you?"

"I'm afraid not." Aqua shook her head. "Riku and Mickey said they were moving on towards Twilight Town the last time I saw them.

"I actually came to get my Keyblade back and we wanted to make sure Ven's doing okay." Terra explained as he held out his newly fixed up Keyblade.

"Then they must still be there, and Ven's okay. I last saw him in the central square, by the fountain." She mentioned in a low tone.

"Are you okay? You sound kinda down." Aqua asked.

Kairi shrugged her shoulders. "Am I ever really okay anymore, Aqua?"

Terra scratched the of his head and looked the other way. "You know...I think there's a knick here on teeth of the blade. Maybe I'll go get that...check. Maybe I'll see Ven in the square." He said, making up an excuse to give the girls some alone time to talk even though there was nothing wrong with the Keyblade. Aqua laughed softly as Terra hurried out of the garden.

Aqua sighed as she took a seat in the flowers next to Kairi. She knew that face all too well. It was a face of someone who felt like she was losing herself, forgetting who she was. Aqua hadn't known Kairi for very long having only met her once as a child and then meeting again right before the battle against Xehanort, but she never forgot the warm feeling she had in her heart when she first saw Kairi in the gardens, fleeing for her life from the Unversed. Her immediate reaction was to protect her at whatever cost. She continued to have that same strong desire in her heart. She knew Kairi's light was precious and should anything happen to her or her light, Aqua didn't even want to imagine what could happen.

"You know, as a Keyblade master, I feel like I should always know the right thing to say to someone who isn't okay. And yet, I don't." Aqua sighed.

Kairi shook her head. "It's okay. Just you being here is enough. The same goes for everyone else."

Aqua laughed softly. "I know you said before that your memories from your childhood are hazy, but it was right by this garden that I met you for the first time. You were picking flowers and the Unversed attacked you. Mickey and I arrived at just the right time."

"I'm sorry. I wish I could remember. I wish I could remember more, but my memories...they just seem to come to mind out of nowhere." Kairi looked up and smiled as a dandelion floated within her view. "My memories, they're sort of dandelions. They're precious, floating out there, and when I see them, they come from out of nowhere."

"That's good. Even if it takes time, you'll eventually gain all of your memories back."

Kairi pressed a hand to her chest. "It's funny though, the memories that I've retained are those of me and my grandmother together. She...used to bring me out here to the gardens all the time." She watched a rabbit hop across and stick its twitching nose in the air. "Hey, that little rabbit reminds me…"

"Reminds you of what?" Aqua asked as she watched the rabbit nibble on some grass.

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_**There was...there was a little baby rabbit here in the gardens. I found him when I was really little. He was tiny and weak, and I couldn't leave him out here all by himself, especially since it looked like it was going to rain. Neither his mother nor his siblings could be found anywhere, so I decided to take him into the palace. I knew Grandma wouldn't mind me taking care of a helpless little baby rabbit.**_

"_Grandma! Grandma! Look what I found outside!" Kairi cheerfully announced as she ran into the palace parlor. _

_Kairi's grandma studied her carefully. "Hmm...what is that in your arms, my dear?"_

"_It's a baby bunny!" She held up the tiny white rabbit._

"_Aww, the poor thing. He's shaking. He must be so frightened."_

"_I think he lost his family."_

"_Well, normally we want to leave wild animals outside, but I think we can make this exception." Kairi's grandma chuckled with amusement. She got up from the chair in front of the large fireplace and began to guide Kairi over to the kitchen. "Come, we'll get some warm milk for the little tyke."_

_Kairi's grandma poured some fresh milk into a small bottle with a detachable syringe. Meanwhile, Kairi had begun to wrap a blanket around the rabbit. She was determined to protect this little critter, no matter what._

"_Here you go! I'll call you...Jack!" Kairi whispered as she snuggled the rabbit._

"_Oh? Why Jack, my dear?"_

"_He's white like the snow! And Jack Frost makes the snow come, right?"_

_Kairi's grandma sighed and smiled. "How could I forget?" She had Kairi sit on the chair in the parlor and handed her the bottle. "Here, would you like to feed him?"_

_Kairi giggled as she took the bottle. She put bottle up to the rabbit's mouth and he began to suckle on the tip, instantly more satisfied than he was only a few minutes ago. Kairi's grandmother couldn't help but laugh at how much her granddaughter was enjoying feeding the little guy. If anything, it made her look forward to Kairi having her own children one day. Thanks to her maternal nature, she was confident Kairi would make an excellent mother._

"_I'll protect you, Jack!" Kairi whispered as she kissed him._

_For several weeks, up to a few months, Kairi treated Jack as if he were her own child. She fed him the best vegetables when he was finally old enough to have them. She bathed him whenever he got dirty. She snuggled with him in her bed, despite the bed not being the ideal place for him to sleep. She even sang to him at bedtime. Even if the rabbit probably couldn't understand a single word she said, he knew she unconditionally loved him._

_Unfortunately for her, the day came time for Kairi to release him back into the wild. Jack was finally strong enough that he could survive on his own. It was the hardest day for Kairi. She had grown so attached to him and, just like any parent, didn't want him to leave her. Kairi's grandmother walked with her out to the gardens where Jack was found. Lucky for them, it was a perfectly sunny day and summer was upon them. Jack would have to continue to grow as well as find his own mate and start his own family._

"_Grandma, does he really have to go?" Kairi asked, her eyes flooded with tears._

_Kairi's grandma nodded. "I'm afraid so. This is where he belongs, outside in the wild with the rest of the rabbits, just like you belong in our world with people."_

"_But...what if the wild is too scary?"_

"_The world can be a scary place, even for people, but every living thing, people, animals, plants, we all learn to adapt to our environment. When we do, our natural instincts allow us to know how to survive. Jack is no different. He'll get used to being in the wild and he'll be okay."_

"_Okay…" Kairi sniffled as she gave Jack one last hug. "Be careful, Jack. I love you." She knelt down and placed Jack on the ground. After a moment of him sniffing the ground, he finally began gently hopping away, leaving a heartbroken Kairi to softly cry._

"_Aw Kairi," Kairi's grandma hugged her. "You have such a big heart. One day, it's going to touch many others' hearts, and their hearts will reach out in return."_

_Kairi nodded as she continued to quietly sob in her grandmother's shoulder. While she was too little to understand exactly what she was being told about touching other people's hearts, Kairi did understand about being kind to others in need. It was a lesson that she could continue on into her older years._

_-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-_

"It sounds like you've had a maternal instinct since you were little." Aqua laughed softly.

"I'd like to believe that." Kairi softly gasped as she wrapped her hand around her pendant. "Aqua...I remember now…our first meeting."

"You do?" 

"Yes. You and King Mickey both could sense the light within me, the light that my grandmother had constantly told me about. I also remember...that spell…"

Aqua smiled and nodded. "The one that I cast on you?"

"Yeah, I don't think I ever thanked you." Kairi returned the warm smile. "I think it was your spell that led me to Destiny islands. I can't quite recall the night Radiant Garden was lost, but I just remember right before arriving to the island, how scared I was. Then, I heard a voice. It belonged to a boy, a boy who promised to help me. When I woke up...there he was, on the beach, by my side." She softly laughed as she played with some strands of hair. "I think your spell led me to Sora."

"I wouldn't doubt it. Even though I didn't know it before, I could tell just how precious you are to him. It takes a very special person to sacrifice their lives for someone like that."

"You did that for Terra too, didn't you? And that's how you ended up in the Realm of Darkness, right?"

"Yes, I was there for a really long time, fighting my own inner darkness from consuming me. When I met up with Mickey, we worked together to find a way out, but in the end, I was doomed to remain in the Realm of Darkness while Riku and Mickey managed to find a way back. All I could do was wait, wait for someone to come for me."

Kairi tilted her head and raised an eyebrow. "You seem like you were pretty confident."

"What choice did I have? Sometimes hope is all we have left. It's what prevents our light from fading completely in our hearts." Aqua looked over at Kairi with concern on her face. "Kairi, Riku told me about the replica procedure. Do you really believe that's our only hope?"

"I don't want to believe that. I just want realistic expectations. For all I know, I could be chasing after these seashell pieces and get nothing out of it. I feel like I've disappointed myself and my friends enough."

"But, do _you_ believe it?"

Kairi shook her head and stood up rapidly. "No. I don't believe it. In fact, I actually _hate _the idea of a replica, because I _know _it won't be the same Sora. I'm actually kinda baffled that Riku would go along with it, but I can't get mad at him because I don't want to make Riku feel any worse than I'm sure he already feels!" She vented. "And maybe at the end of the day, a replica is our only option, but until every last glimmer of hope within me has faded, I'll continue to do whatever it takes to save Sora!" She stopped and breathed deeply. "Hope...hope…"

"Kairi? You okay?" Aqua asked as she stood up and rested a hand on Kairi's shoulder.

"Y-Yeah, I'm alright, Aqua. Thanks." She said with a smile. "I needed this talk."

"Glad to help. You can always talk to me about anything."

"Well, my shoulder has healed. I think it's about time the girls and I move on and continue our quest in the morning. Sora's been waiting long enough for us."

Aqua nodded as she watched Kairi leave the gardens and begin working her way back out towards the field. Soon after she was out of sight, Aqua looked up and saw Terra walking back, not by himself, but with someone else.

"A-Aqua?" Ven stammered.

Aqua turned around and gasped. "Ven! Ven, you're okay!" She ran over and embraced him.

"Thanks Aqua, but Kairi deserves the credit. She found me in the field."

"Naminé told me, but she didn't have all the details." She had Ven sit back down with her.

Terra sat down with both of them. "What happened, exactly? And who did this to you?"

"Well…"

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

As the sun began to set, Kairi opted to spend the rest of her last night in Radiant Garden with Koko. While Leon and Rinoa offered to give her some last minute training, she politely declined it, feeling like she's trained enough. If Kairi could be honest, she didn't even want to think about anything related to Keyblades at the moment. She didn't want to think about battles. She didn't want to think about danger. She didn't want the echoes of painful grunts and cries of her friends to cross her mind. All Kairi wanted was the peaceful sights and sounds of nature. Birds chirping, bugs buzzing, and winds blowing the through the branches of the trees were music to her ears. If it were up to her, she'd only sit on the hill with Koko and watch the sunset.

After taking Koko on a nice relaxing ride throughout the fields, Kairi returned back to the ranch and began to clean her up. She took an apple from the bucket beside her stall and fed it to the bird. She cawed and began to nuzzle Kairi in the face. If there was anything that made Kairi want to never leave Radiant Garden again, it was Koko. She was the dog she was never allowed to have because of how expensive the house was and because her mother had allergies, so she'd have to go to Selphie's house for all of her dog needs, except Koko was a large bird. Kairi laughed as she fed Koko another apple. As the apple was swallowed, Kairi grabbed a brush and sat on the fence, brushing her feathered body. She slowly ran the brush down her body, humming a soft tune.

"You gonna be okay until I get back, Koko?" Kairi asked. Koko chirped and tilted her head to the side. "I have to go for a little while. I'm trying to save someone very special to me, but don't worry, I'll be back. I promise." She hugged the large bird. "I'll come back and we'll go riding again. I'm not gonna leave you or _anyone _like that."

"Kairi!"

Kairi looked back at who was calling her name. "Xion? Naminé? What are you two doing out here?"

"Ven told us you needed time to yourself." Naminé sat as she sat on the fence.

"We thought this would be the first place to look because you could still talk to your chocobo if you wanted to." Xion laughed.

"Hmm, I guess I should get better at hiding places, right?" Kairi asked with a sarcastic chuckle. She set down the brush. "Or maybe I should just...disappear…"

Naminé exchanged a saddened look with Xion before resting her hand on the redhead's back. "What's wrong, Kairi?"

"Yeah, you know you can tell us anything. Or...you don't have to tell us anything. We're just here for you because we're your friends and we love you." Xion chimed in. "Here! I've got the perfect medicine! A girl's _real _best friend!" She pulled out three ice cream bars and handed one to each girl.

"Ice cream?" Kairi asked, smiling slightly.

"I know it doesn't look like sea-salt, but it's similar. The guy called it 'salted caramel'. Apparently Radiant Garden is famous for their caramel and it apparently goes well with the sea-salt flavor, so they merged the two and it's supposed to be really good."

"Thanks Xion." Naminé and Kairi both thanked her.

The girls sat quietly on the fence and nibbled on the salty sweet frozen treat. It wasn't sea-salt, but they enjoyed the ice cream nonetheless. The sun only grew brighter and the rays grew more harsh as the sun and land met in the horizon. Kairi held her head low and stared down at the shadows that the trees formed. It was almost like she wanted to feel good in the moment, but something was holding her back. Kairi's grip on her ice cream loosened and simply let it hang from her fingers. Xion and Naminé both noticed that her mood had changed and stopped eating, waiting for Kairi to hopefully say something.

"You know something?" She broke the silence softly. "Maybe...I'm just...sad."

"What are you sad about?" Naminé asked.

"Are you sad about Sora? Your grandma? Are you homesick?" Xion rested a hand on Kairi's back.

"Honestly...I don't know. I'm just...sad."

Naminé shared a concerned look with Xion before wrapping an arm around their friend. "It's okay, Kairi." She softly whispered. "When all of this is over, we'll still be here, and so will you."

Xion nodded. "You are not alone. You're so important to us."

"Thanks guys…"

Kairi softly cried Xion and Naminé pulled her into a group hug. Koko even came up behind the girls and rested her head over Kairi's shoulder while wrapping her wings around all three of the girls. The ranch and the field were all silent aside from the soft cries from Kairi. She rested her face against Xion's shoulder while Naminé rubbed her back.

_**A famous actress once said, "For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone." Even if I didn't admit it, Xion and Naminé were always there when I needed them, and I will never forget that.**_

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

The next day, everyone gathered themselves up, ready to move on. Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith all said their goodbyes and Ienzo offered to keep in touch with Kairi regarding the replica project while she was on the road. He even updated her phone with an app that had the same technology that the ship's tracker had. Now she could use her phone to track the pieces within the worlds she visited. Kairi stretched and felt good about being able to jump back into battle without an injury. She was also just looking forward to moving on and continuing to find the seashells. Terra, Aqua, and Ven, who were staying at the palace for the time being, decided to see the girls off. They all walked out to the palace gates where the gummi ship was waiting for the girls to board and carry them off to their next destination.

"You three ready to go?" Ven asked.

Naminé nodded. "Yep, we have a lot of seashell pieces to go."

"But we'll be back. What are you gonna do, Ven?" Kairi smiled and curled a hand into a fist.

"Well, I was thinking of maybe keeping an eye on the place in case the Heartless decide to cause havoc here."

"You and Riku seem to have everything under control." Terra said with confidence. "Riku grew a lot during his journey, and you will too, Kairi."

Aqua nodded. "I'll stick around here too. Plus, the others in the restoration committee may need help around here too with the festival coming up."

"Sounds like a plan!" Xion agreed. "Give us a call if you need anything."

Aqua smiled and nodded. "I'm sure we'll have everything covered here."

"I hope so!" Chirithy intervened as he popped out. "Because I can't be around to keep an eye on you two when I'm gonna be with these girls from now on!"

"W-What? Chirithy? What are you saying? We don't need-" Kairi tried to argue.

Chirithy sighed and shook his head. "Hey, somebody's gotta keep a level head in this group, and I doubt it's gonna be either of you three."

"Hey!"

Everyone laughed at poor Kairi's embarrassment. As much as they all loved laughing and poking fun at each other, the girls did have to get a move on. Ven and Aqua said goodbye to them and watched all three board the ship and take off flying. Once everyone was settled in, it was time for another nice relaxing flight with the occasional turbulence from meteors or asteroids. Kairi was still a speed demon, but at least she was a lot smoother at flying than she was only a few weeks ago when she first started flying. Xion not getting airsick was also a good sign of Kairi's improvement in flying.

Chirithy proved to be a fun little companion to bring along the trip. Especially with him being the only male in the group, that led to some interesting conversations. He also proved to be an excellent cappuccino brewer. How a dream eater could possibly become skilled at making coffee, nobody knew, but the girls didn't complain. Xion exhaled deeply and leaned back in her seat with a piece of the Powhatans' corn while Naminé was hard at work drawing. She had actually remembered to bring her sketchbook this time around now that she knew she was going to be gone for an extended period of time, unlike the first time she left where she thought Mickey was only taking her from Radiant Garden for a quick errand.

"You know, as nice as Radiant Garden is, it's nice to be back on the road again." Xion sighed as she sipped on her cappuccino.

Naminé laughed and held up her sketchbook, showcasing a sketch of Chirithy. "I'm just glad I remembered to bring my sketchbook this time! I've missed drawing so much! There's just something wonderful about drawing the world around me." She looked over at Chirithy, who had been posing on one of the dashboards. "You have a great profile, Chirithy!"

"Thank you, Naminé. I take great pride in keeping myself well-rounded and in great shape." He blushed and patted his tummy with his paws. "Now, I need a cookie."

Kairi turned in the pilot's seat and laughed. "You definitely got your poetic side from me, Naminé. But, if you do start writing regularly, I may have to call you out for copying me."

Xion scoffed. "In her defense, she _was _your Nobody."

"Yeah, but Roxas was Sora's Nobody and they're both so different from each other." Kairi pointed out as she leaned back in her seat and crossed her legs.

"You know it. One of them's a lazy bum and the other one is blonde and has more fun." Xion teased.

"That's it! No more ice cream for you, missy!"

"Yes, 'Mother'." Xion rolled her eyes.

Naminé gasped in amusement. "Wait. If I was born from your heart and Sora's body, while Xion was born from Sora's memories of you, does that make us technically...your daughters?"

"Naminé, how many orange sodas have you had to drink since we left?" Kairi asked, her face red from embarrassment. Naminé and Xion giggled amongst each other at her reaction. "For the record, that is _way _too technical. Besides, this isn't exactly the _best _time to give you two 'the talk' on where babies come from."

"I guess that's valid...Mom…" Xion teased.

Chirithy sighed and shook his head. "Wow...she went there…"

"Xion, I will turn this ship around-" Kairi's 'motherly' scolding was interrupted by the radar alerting them of their incoming destination. "Well, looks like we're approaching the next world! Buckle up, everyone!"

As the girls buckled up their seatbelts, Chirithy vanished, as he normally did whenever he wasn't needed or if there was potential danger, which in this case, there wasn't another seat or belt for him. Kairi began pressing the buttons on the console to break through the stratosphere. She was relieved she didn't have to deal with Heartless ships again like she did before. The last thing she wanted was for the ship to suffer major damage and leave them stranded in the world again. Now with her new tracker on her phone, Kairi was more determined to get to these worlds, quickly find the seashell pieces and move onto the next one.

The ship powered through the stratosphere and the girls were finally within the new world. Of course, like with any new location they entered, there was an issue. This time around, Kairi didn't see any sign of land anywhere. Where the heck were they supposed to park the ship? True, they typically parked it out of sight and used a teleporter to send them into the world proper, but she at least wanted to see where they were going to end up in. For all she knew, Kairi could step into the teleporter and it would send her into a pit of snakes. It also didn't help that the skies weren't clear, but they were cloudy and foggy, making it nearly impossible for her to see.

"Hmm...it's looking a little overcast here. Kinda different from the last couple worlds we were at, huh?" Naminé commented upon looking out of the ship.

"Yeah." Kairi agreed. "But, maybe it'll clear up later. For now, let's just find a good place to land." She began to tap on her gummiphone that opened up a new tracker app. "It's a good thing Ienzo was able to add a new tracker app onto my phone while I was in the lab, so it'll be a lot easier to find these seashell pieces once we're off the ship."

"Great! As much as I _love _ambience, I don't know if I can do days worth of hiking like we've been doing. My attention span isn't good enough for that." Xion wiped her brow and sighed in relief. She took a look outside and tilted her head at the sight of a red balloon floating past her and up into the stratosphere. "Aww, pretty balloon." 

"Balloon? That's random." Kairi muttered as she remained focused on her line of sight.

Naminé joined next to Xion, her eyes widening at the sight they both saw before them. "Uh...Kairi?"

"What?"

"There's like, a million balloons right outside our ship and...there's a house attached to them!" Xion pointed out, her voice raising in amusement and excitement.

Kairi's face popped up with bewilderment. "A house? A million ball-Wait, what?" She finally got up from her seat and looked out the same way the girls her. Her jaw dropped and her eyes were wider than melons at what she saw. "Oh...my...gosh…"

**A/N: Ooooh? What's the next Disney world? You shall find out soon enough...but...you can probably already tell lol Thanks for reading guys and once again, I'll see you have the hurricane passes!**


	24. Spirit of Adventure

**A/N: I just realized that it's been over six months since I started this fic! How did time go by so quick? Oh yeah, and NEW REMIND TRAILER COMING! It's most likely gonna kill the canon of my fic, but guess who doesn't care? THIS GIRL! Anywho, enjoy the next chapter!**

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Chapter 24: Spirit of Adventure

_It was a beautiful spring day in the 1930s. Birds were chirping, dogs were barking, and kids were riding down the street on bicycles. For any of them, this was a normal day, but for a young eight-year-old boy, this was a special day. He was walking home after having seen a film at the local cinema. For a child in simpler times, going to the cinema was an adventure, especially being able to go by himself without his parents. That morning, his father gave him thirty cents. Nowadays, you're lucky if that could cover tax on one item, but on this particular day, it was enough for the young boy to walk into town, pay five cents for an ice cream cone and the rest would be spent on a ticket for the movie he wanted to see that day._

_This wasn't just any movie though, it was a film about this lad's childhood hero, Charles Muntz, an explorer who devoted his life travelling the world with his dogs and studying science. During this particular expedition covered by the film, Muntz had travelled to Paradise Falls, a lost world that mankind had yet to step foot in. However, when he attempted to bring back the skeleton of a mysterious beast, scientists accused him of fabricating the skeleton and was stripped of his membership. Despite the humiliation, Muntz swore he would return to Paradise Falls and capture the beast alive, not returning until it happened. It was a dangerous task, but this young boy had such strong faith in the explorer. _

_This boy had so much faith that often dreamt about becoming an explorer. As he walked home that day, he did the typical 'holding arms out pretending to be an airplane' like all children who wanted to be pilots did. In fact, anyone could judge based on the boy's helmet and goggles that he was determined to be just like Charles Muntz. He wanted to travel the world. He wanted to go to Paradise Falls. He wanted to see mysterious beasts and animals that were undiscovered by mankind. His dream was his greatest adventure, and he thought about that as he zoomed down the sidewalk while holding a blue balloon that said 'Spirit of Adventure' on it._

_**Here's Charles Muntz, piloting his famous dirigible!**_

_**He hurdles Pikes Peak!**_

_The young boy jumped over a small rock._

_**He hurdles the Grand Canyon!**_

_Then he jumped over a crack in the sidewalk._

_**He hurdles Mt. Everest!**_

_Then he jumped-or rather, attempted to jump over a tree stump. He failed._

_**He goes around Mt. Everest! Is there nothing he cannot do? Yes, as Muntz himself says, "Adventure is…"**_

"_Adventure is out there! Look out!" The voice of a young girl echoed from a distance. "Mount Rushmore! Must get Spirit of Adventure over Mount Rushmore! Hold together, old girl. How're my dogs doing?"_

_The young boy decided to follow the voice, especially when he noticed how much of a fixer upper the house was. The door, which appropriately had 'Spirit of Adventure' written on it, wasn't even on the hinges. The house had to be abandoned, but it was apparent that the little girl that was inside of the house had claimed it as her...own? He climbed up the front porch and decided since the door was already open that it was safe to take a peek inside. He was shy enough that he almost hesitated, but his curiosity at the girl's obvious imitations of Charles Muntz caused his curiosity to overtake his shyness._

"_All engines ahead full! Let's get her up to 26,000 feet! Rudders 18 degrees towards the south! It's a beautiful day. Winds out of the east at 10 knots. Visibility unlimited. Enter the weather in the log book!" She yelled out to her orange and white hamster. The little rodent began running in its wheel as ordered. "Oh! There's something down there." She grabbed her homemade binoculars and looked out the window. "I will bring it back for science."_

_The further the boy crept into the house, the more intrigued he was by this girl. She had turned this old abandoned house into her own 'airship'. Despite it never leaving the ground, her enthusiasm toward adventure was enough to make it believable. She was acting as if she could actually see what she was yelling about. He took a look around the room and saw newspaper clippings about Charles Muntz. To him, this girl had excellent taste in role models and heroes related to exploring. He could read about Muntz all day. It distracted him so much that he didn't even notice her stopping her fantasy to go confront him._

"_What are you doing?" The girl suddenly asked in his face. He screamed and stumbled backwards, accidentally letting his balloon float away. "Don't you know this is an exclusive club? Only explorers can get in, not just any kid off the street with a helmet and a pair of goggles." She cornered the young boy up against the wall. "Do you think you've got what it takes? Well, do you?" _

"_Uh...eh...I…"_

"_All right, you're in. Welcome aboard!" She stuck out her hand and smiled a wide smile, obviously missing a front tooth. The boy just stared at her, hesitating to shake her hand. "What's wrong? Can't you talk?" His eyes darted between his twiddling fingers and her face, not uttering a single word. "Hey, I don't bite." She softened the tone of her voice as she took off her helmet and goggles, revealing her crazy auburn shaggy hair and a wide smile that had a missing front tooth. The boy watched as she removed a badge made up of a pin and a grape soda bottle cap, one of many, from her denim overalls and pinned it to his vest. "You and me, we're in a club now."_

_Carl gazed at the pin before back to her. As a child with not many friends, it meant the world to him to be part of a club. The fact that he found this girl to be cute also helped. Most boys his age avoided girls for various reasons. Carl was different. He just wanted a good friend and she seemed like a good choice. He couldn't help but smile at the little purple bow she wore in her hair. Even if her attire, attitude, and hair spelled 'tomboy', she still had a girly side to her, one that Carl found rather charming. _

"_Hey, I saw where your balloon went." She pointed up. "Come on, let's go get it!" She waved him out of the room and he followed her. "Oh yeah, my name's Ellie! What's your name, kid?"_

"_Uh...eh…"_

_Ellie rolled her eyes. "Aw, come on. You can't expect me to call you 'kid' this whole time. Just tell me your name."_

"_Carl…" The boy muttered softly._

"_Carl, eh?" She studied his face. "Cool name! Now come on! Let's go rescue that balloon! You never know when you might need it!"_

_Ellie took Carl by the hand and led him to the upper floor. While she was completely focused on retrieving that balloon, his eyes were locked on their hands. Carl had held hands with other kids, both boys and girls, before, but this time felt different. His palm was suddenly sweaty and the spring time had suddenly began to feel like summer as his face began to glow bright pink. For a second there, Carl thought maybe he was starting to feel sick, but he didn't feel miserable. In fact, this was the best he had felt in his short life so far. Much like he could read about Muntz all day, he felt the same way about Ellie holding his hand._

"_There it is!" Ellie pointed it across a large hole in the floor after reaching the next story. Carl could only swallow a large lump that formed in his throat at the idea of having to cross the crevice that was connected with only a simple piece of wood. "Well, go on!" She pushed him onto the wood._

_Carl began shaking in his skin as he stared at the balloon ahead. Was it really worth it? He looked back at Ellie who brightly watched with encouragement and anticipation. She wanted him to do it, not because she wanted to see how tough he was, but because she knew he could do it and believed in him. Carl was unsure of himself, but Ellie made him feel like he could do anything. Wanting to be brave and, in a way, show off a bit, Carl put his goggles on, readying himself to take that first step. He took in a deep breath and took one step for-_

_CRASH!_

_It didn't work out that well. Carl fell through the wood and to the second floor and Ellie was now stuck with an injured kid in her clubhouse._

_**One trip to the hospital later…**_

_It turned out the fall had broken Carl's arm, while he was in pain, he kept in rather good spirits. That first night after the hospital trip, he simply lay in bed, reading a book with a flashlight. It was obviously past his bedtime if the lights were off. It had to be a really good book if he was staying up that late. It was at least good enough to keep him distracted from the sight of his balloon floating over to him from the window. The stick that the balloon was tied to floated rather quickly towards the injured kid and tapped against the book. Carl looked up at the tapping sound and jumped in surprise. _

"_Ow!" Carl grunted as he accidentally hit his arm._

"_Hey, kid!" Ellie greeted, poking her head through the window. Carl screamed in panic at her sudden appearance, once again, accidentally hitting his arm. She laughed and climbed through the window, holding a book in her arm. "Thought you might need a little cheering up. I've got something to show ya!"_

_Deciding that he could use the company, Carl got out of bed. Ellie mentioned that she had a secret to tell him and she insisted that they make a 'secret hiding spot' so that grown ups couldn't hear them. After thinking for a moment, Carl decided to take his blanket off of his bed and make it into a tent. Ellie observed and decided she approved of the tent. Yes, an eight-year-old with high standards, it was possible. Although it was dark at first, Carl crawled into the tent with a night light, giving them plenty of light to see each other. Before deciding to tell him her secret, Ellie took one last look, making sure nobody else was around._

"_I am about to let you see something I have never shown to another human being. Ever! In my life!" Ellie explained with intensity in her hushed tone. "You'll have to swear you will not tell anyone." Carl immediately nodded, knowing well that Ellie was a girl to never cross, despite only knowing her for such a short period of time. "Cross your heart. Do it!" She demanded. Carl took his finger and made an 'x' over his chest. _

_Now with the promise made, Ellie narrowed her eyes and smiled as she pulled out the book from behind her back._

"_My Adventure Book!" Ellie showed Carl before she flipped it open. The first page contained the front of Life Magazine, featuring Charles Muntz. Carl couldn't contain his excitement and gasped. "You know him. Charles Muntz, explorer. When I get big, I'm going where he's going." Ellie flipped another page, this next one containing a world map of South America. "South America. It's like America, but south. Wanna know where I'm gonna live?" She asked. Carl nodded eagerly, ready for the next page. Ellie flipped over to the next page, one with torn edges, that had a picture of a famous sight in South America. "Paradise Falls, a land lost in time. I ripped this right out of a library book!" She yanked her arm, simulating the ripping of a page. Carl could only gasp, as if Ellie had committed a crime. _

"_I'm gonna move my clubhouse there and park it right next to the falls." Ellie shared her plan as she pointed at the cut out drawing of her multi-colored clubhouse that was taped on top of the Paradise Falls photo. "Who knows what lives up there. And once I get there?" She began flipping through the rest of the pages of the book, all of them being empty except for one that had 'STUFF I'm Going TO DO' written on it in black marker. "Well, I'm saving these pages for all the adventures I'm gonna have. Only, I don't know how I'm gonna get to Paradise Falls." She sighed and rested her chin on her hands. _

_Carl watched as Ellie hopelessly stared down into here book. Being only a kid, he didn't know that much about travelling and how to get places, but he knew of one way to get to Paradise Falls. He turned and looked up at a blimp that hung up in his room. Ellie noticed that Carl had looked away and locked her eyes on the same blimp. Her eyes widened and she gasped as she got an idea in her head._

"_That's it! You can take us there in a blimp!" Ellie exclaimed. "Swear you'll take us! Cross your heart!" She yelled. "Cross it! Cross your heart!" Carl gasped softly and crossed his heart once again. "Good, you promised! No backing out! Well, see you tomorrow, kid. Bye!" Ellie grabbed her book and hurried back to the window, hopping back out. "Adventure is out there!" She yelled out as she pumped a fist in the air. "You know, you don't talk very much. I like you!" _

_With a wide smile, Ellie disappeared out of sight._

"_Wow…" Carl gazed and watched Ellie hop down as he leaned onto the balloon, accidentally popping it from his body weight. If there was one child who was living, breathing proof that childhood love existed, it was Carl._

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

**70 YEARS LATER...**

Carl mumbled and moved his body slightly at the feeling of someone poking him in the arm. He felt like a brick hit him in the head. He almost didn't want to wake up because it felt like the room in the house was spinning. His back wasn't feeling any better either, but that was mostly due to the fact that he was passed out on top of all of his belongings. Unfortunately, during his little adventure in the sky in his floating house, Carl encountered a severe thunderstorm that threw him off course. Yes, you heard it right, Carl got his house to float. He strapped thousands upon thousands of balloons to his house, which were strong enough to lift it right off his lot and send him on the adventure of a lifetime to Paradise Falls, the place that he and his late wife, Ellie, dreamed of visiting when they were children.

Visiting Paradise Falls was the plan. What wasn't part of the plan was Carl having a young kid tag along with him. He had accidentally ended up on the front porch of Carl's house as it took off and naturally, was too freaked out to try to jump off. Not to mention, it's just plain dangerous. Despite not planning to have the kid tag along, Carl managed to let him stay inside for the time being. To say he had the patience for this child would be great, but that would be lying. If anything, Carl would much rather have him stay on the porch, or hang him out of the house using the hose, but neither of those options seemed safe or probable. As much as he would deny it, it was thanks to this kid that Carl's house was still en route to Paradise Falls after the storm due to him passing out.

"Mr. Fredricksen?" He poked Carl again. "Mr. Fredricksen?"

"Eh...wha…?" Carl grumbled as his eyes cracked open.

"Phew, I thought you were dead." The boy sighed in relief.

"Eh...Russell...what happened?"

"I steered the house while you took a nap." Russell answered proudly.

Carl stood up slowly and grabbed his cane. "You steered us?" He walked over and opened the window, taking a peek out into the bright blue sky. "Where are…?"

"I was able to steer us toward South America with my Wilderness Explorer GPS." Russell pulled out the small device.

"GP...what?"

Russell walked closer and held up the GPS for Carl to see. "My dad gave it to me. It shows us exactly where we are." He imitated a beeping noise briefly. "With this baby, we'll _never _be lost!" Unfortunately for Carl and Russell, the worst timing and case of butterfingers kicked in, causing Russell to accidentally throw the GPS out the window and sent it plummeting down thousands of feet. "Oops, sorry."

Carl groaned and walked over towards the fireplace where the balloons that held his house in the air were strapped. "Don't worry kid, we'll get down and find you a bus stop." He knelt down and began cutting some of the strings with a key. Letting some of the balloons go were enough for the house to begin slowly descending. "You just tell the man you wanna go back to your mother."

"Okay, but...whoa!" Russell gasped loudly and looked out the window. Upon a closer look, he noticed a purple ship flying in the air, but it wasn't just any ship, it happened to be the ship that Kairi was traversing the different worlds with. "Mr. Fredricksen! You gotta see this! It's purple!"

"Whatever it is, it can wait. If it's purple, then it's probably a bird or something." He grumbled.

"And it's huge!"

Carl sighed and shook his head. "Okay fine, so then it's a plane! What's the big deal?"

"No!" Russell shook his head and waved his arms. "It's not a bird, or a plane, it's a rocket ship!"

"Oh yeah, sure, a rock-wait…" Carl got up, his eyebrows tilting up in confusion. "A rocket ship? That's impossible!" He hurried over (as fast as he could for an old man), and looked out the window. "Jiminy Crickets…" He muttered at the sight of Kairi's ship.

"Isn't it cool? Maybe if we keep floating high enough, we'll end up in outer space."

"No! That's not gonna happen! That ship had better steer clear of my house!" Carl walked onto the front porch of his house and leaned closer towards the ship. "Hey you! Stay away from my house! There's plenty of sky around here!"

"Mr. Fredricksen, I don't think they can hear us…" Russell pointed out as Xion tilted her head to the side from inside the ship.

"You just wait, they'll get the message."

Xion attempted to lip-read what Carl was trying to say. Unfortunately, lip reading wasn't one of her talents, so she couldn't understand what he was saying. Instead, she took notice of his body language and could only see that he was yelling at them.

"Uh...Kairi?" Xion asked as she pointed out the ship at Carl. "That old man is yelling at us."

"Old man?" Kairi looked over and gasped at Carl yelling at them. "There's an old man in that house! He's probably calling for help!" She grabbed the analog and began to slowly shift the ship sideways.

Namine looked out and noticed Russell looking out the window, waving to them. "There's a kid on board too! How the heck did this happen?"

Kairi shrugged her shoulders. "We'll find out later. If there's a kid on board, he's probably freaked out, so are his parents."

Carl waited on the front porch with the hope that the ship would steer farther away from them. Much to his dismay, the ship was shifting closer to his house. His jaw dropped as he gasped, fearing for his life that Kairi and her ship were going to crush him from the impact

"NO! No! Go back! Go back! You're too close!" Carl yelled as he waved his arms in front of him.

Russell studied Namine's body language, who was essentially charading that the girls were going to try to help them land. "I...uh...think they want us to land."

"That's what I'm trying to do, but they keep on getting in my way!" Carl groaned. "I told you! Get away from my house!" He yelled.

"Uh... Mr. Fredricksen?"

"What?"

"Are spaceships normally made out of building blocks?" Russell asked with unease in his tone.

"What? No! Of course not! Where would you get a crazy idea like…" Carl froze at the sight of Heartless ships approaching and surrounding both the house and Kairi's ship. "What in the name of Charles Muntz are those?"

The girls all looked out the window of their ship and immediately caught sight of the Heartless ships. If they weren't already frustrated with Carl yelling at them when they were trying to help rescue him from what they thought was a dangerous situation, they definitely were with the Heartless now wanting to stir up trouble. All the girls wanted was a smooth landing in their next destination and a smooth journey considering the last world they visited involved the ship getting damaged and Kairi getting injured. Then again, should three Keyblade wielders expect any less from Heartless?

"Ugh...come on, you guys can't leave us alone?" Xion asked, groaning in frustration.

Kairi sighed and shook her head. "I guess not. We're gonna have to fight these guys off and protect the house! Girls, strap yourselves in and ready the cannons and the lasers! I'm gonna have to make some tight turns if we're gonna keep this house safe!"

While Xion and Namine were buckling up and getting their ammo ready, Carl was studying the Heartless ships and trying to figure out a solution. Of all the things he was expecting encounter in the sky, a fleet of enemy ships was the last thing he had in mind. All he could do was rely on his gut instinct.

"Russell! Go hide somewhere!" Carl nudged him away from the windows and shut them. He ran in and began attempting to steer the house out of the way of the Heartless ships.

"They're surrounding us! Do you think they're police officer ships?"

"Police officers don't have rocket ships!"

Russell twiddled his hands. "Maybe, but the last time I saw something like this was on a car chase scene in a movie where the car was surrounded by cop cars."

Carl groaned, fiddling with his glasses. "It's fine! Let's just focus on getting the heck out of here!"

Kairi, on the other hand, stressed with fighting off the Heartless while also protecting Carl and Russell. To Sora, Donald, and Goofy, this probably would've been no problem, but considering Kairi didn't have anywhere near as much experience with flying, and the fact that the Heartless ships were flying dangerously close towards Carl's house, made her a hundred times more anxious about being aggressive with her flying. Thanks to Xion's impeccable aiming with the cannons, she was able to fire at enemies that were out of sight and on the other side of the house. Kairi laughed with amusement. She started to feel like Xion would make an excellent pirate should the opportunity arise.

Namine focused on firing lasers on the Heartless that flew ahead, but fired their lasers backwards. Launchpad upgraded their shield, making it harder for enemy fire to penetrate, which the trio appreciated. Kairi was not going to be a happy camper if she had to deal with being stuck in a world because of a damaged ship again. She gasped as she looked in her rearview monitor and saw a Heartless approaching behind and getting ready to fire a powerful energy blast. Praying that Xion wouldn't get airsick, she yanked back on the analog, causing the entire ship to do a backflip. Xion screamed, but didn't get sick, and the energy blast missed them, so all was good. It was even better when Namine shot one of their more powerful lasers toward the enemy and took them down instantly.

While the girls were having a ball with taking out these Heartless thanks to the upgrades their ship had, Carl wasn't having a good time trying to steer his house out of the way while Russell was trying to ask a million questions like any average kid. There were a few close calls where a Heartless almost nailed his house with a laser or where the house almost collided with a ship. Lucky for them, Kairi was on it with keeping them out of harm's way.

It would have been an easy escape for them except for the fact that the weather was actually really foggy and everybody's vision was impaired, especially Carl's, whose eyes were already poor enough from old age. While focusing on trying to protect the house, he didn't come to the realization that they were actually really close to the ground until it was almost too late. Even Kairi didn't notice how far to the ground their ship was, but unlike Carl, her reflexes and the ship's capabilities allowed her to sharply ascend. The house sunk down towards the hard ground and landed with a hard thud, causing both Carl and Russell to be knocked out of the house. It took them a minute to gather themselves and get back up, but there was no time to waste as Carl saw that his house was starting to float past him, leaving him and Russell behind.

"Whoa! Wait! Wait!"

Carl scrambled up from the ground and began chasing the house. He grabbed the house's hose and held onto it.

"The house is gonna carry them off!" Kairi cried out. "Xion! Emergency exit hatch, activate!"

Xion nodded as she pressed a big red button. "10-4!"

The ship came to an emergency stop as the floor underneath the main console split and revealed an emergency hatch that would take them to the emergency trap door beneath the nose of the ship. Kairi jumped in first with Xion and Namine trailing right behind her. It wasn't the most efficient emergency exit, but it was the only option considering there was a bathroom right underneath them. With the emergency door now open, the girls hopped out and landed smoothly on their feet despite having jumped from a far distance. Little did they realize that upon jumping out of the ship, their outfits had changed to matching safari outfits, but this wasn't the time for them to stop and question that logic.

"Come on! We have to hurry!" Kairi motioned for the girls follow her.

Carl's house was moving fast. He had grabbed onto the hose hoping it would stop, but it didn't thanks to the momentum and wind speed. Carl cried in anguish as the house lifted him off the ground. Russell wasn't far behind and grabbed onto his ankles, but even his extra weight wasn't enough. The house was making its way towards the edge of the cliff, and it looked bad for both of them. Kairi sprinted forward, desperate to stop them. As she reached right underneath Russell, she leapt up and grabbed onto his ankles, but after landing back on her feet, the house dragged her too.

Kairi dug her feet into the ground as they dragged, the only thing she could do. Namine leapt forward and wrapped her arms around Kairi's waist from behind and Xion did the same to Namine. All three pairs of feet dragged on the ground until they finally came to a stop, at the edge of the cliff. Carl was breathless as he looked down and saw he was practically floating in place, not even thinking about the fact that there was a young boy and three teenage girls holding him down. Russell was trying to catch his breath. Despite being a fearless kid, he was still rather shooken up considering he was this close to being dragged to his own death. Unlike Carl, he noticed someone holding onto his ankles and looked down, catching sight of the struggling trio.

"Whoa! Oh, hello there!" Russell attempted to greet the girls as Kairi grabbed onto his ankles.

"Don't worry about us right now!"

Kairi grunted as she dragged her feet along the ground, hoping to slow them down. Namine grabbed onto Kairi's waist as Xion did to Namine's, hoping that with all three of their body weights, it would be enough to stop the house.

Carl screamed in horror as he looked down. "Walk back! Walk back!"

Xion nodded and began stepping back, as did the other girls. "Come on girls...let's back it up!"

"Backing up!" Namine repeated.

Russell sighed in relief. "Wow, that was close…"

"You're telling me…" Carl mumbled.

Just as the trio managed to pull themselves a safe distance away from the edge, they carefully released each other. Thankfully, with the house now at a stop, Carl and Russell were able to hold down the house themselves, giving the girls a chance to catch their breath. Kairi took notice of the barren wasteland they were standing on and was curious more than ever about where they were at and where the heck her seashell could be located.

"Where...where are we?" Xion asked.

"I don't know, but...hey!" Kairi gasped as she began observing the clothes on her body that had changed. Gone were the dress and tank top with safety shorts, which were now replaced with cargo shorts, a dirty pink safari vest, and a white shirt with rollup sleeves underneath it. She also ended up with a pink safari hat that hung down her back and around her neck. Namine and Xion's clothes were about the same except their safari vests were indigo and army green respectively. "Look! Our outfits changed!"

"They're cute!" Namine giggled.

Xion nodded as she fiddled with her vest. "Yeah they're nice, but that doesn't answer the question of where we are."

"I...think we're in the middle of nowhere. It's kinda spooky, and it reminds me of the route to Castle Oblivion. That wasn't a stroll in the park." Namine answered softly.

As if the universe were answering their question, the fog started to part and everyone started to see the light. It had gone from a foggy overcast wasteland to an entry to adventure, specifically a South American jungle on top of the world. Carl looked ahead, still gripping tightly onto his house and gazed upon a waterfall that was many miles away, but that didn't change the marvel and beauty. It was surrounded by greenery that looked like it belonged on a canvas. It almost looked like it was a painting that had come to life. Even Kairi found herself drawn to not just the waterfall, but the entire view. It was one thing flying in a gummi ship, but she literally felt like she was on top of the world, looking down at the world's beautiful sights below.

"There it is!" Carl softly exclaimed.

"Whoa...it's beautiful…" Kairi nodded in agreement.

"We made it, Ellie." He muttered. "We made it! Russell! Girls...eh...whatever your names are! We could float right over there! Russell, climb up!"

"You mean assist you?" Russell asked.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever."

"Okay!" He immediately began climbing up the hose, or rather, he attempted to climb up towards the house.

"When you get up there, hoist me up, got it?" Carl called up to Russell

"You need some help, kiddo?" Xion asked.

"Nope...I got it…"

Carl and the girls waited patiently for Russell to finish climbing, only for him to barely make it up before becoming too winded out and lose his grip.

"What? That's it?" Carl groaned. "I came all this way just to get stuck at the wrong end of this rock pile?" He yelled.

"Whoa! Easy there." Kairi stepped forward holding her hands up. "Here, give me a boost, girls!" She had Xion and Namine each lift her up by her feet and she grabbed onto the hose, beginning to climb up towards the house. "Looks like that Keyblade training came in handy with my upper body strength…" Not long after climbing, Kairi made to the porch. "I'm up!"

"Good! Now pull me up!" Carl demanded.

Kairi nodded. She gripped the hose tightly and began to pull it towards her and...nothing happened. She tried again, dragging her feet into the actual house. This time...Kairi could only lift him up a couple inches. Kairi groaned as she held her breath, doing the best she could. This was nothing like holding a Keyblade. Who knew how much Carl weighed, not to mention, being an old man, it was at least a hundred pounds of dead weight that Kairi was trying to life. She decided to try one more time before giving up. She turned around and began walking forward, pulling the hose from behind. At first, it seemed like it was working since she was making slow progress, but after a certain point, Kairi lost her footing and was dragged back out onto the front porch. Carl landed back on his feet and her body smacked against the porch railing.

"Sorry! You're too heavy!" Kairi caught her breath and yelled down to him.

"How the heck am I too heavy?"

"Think about it. I'm 16, weigh 100 pounds, and the most I can lift is 60. You do the math."

Carl groaned, pacing back and forth. "Just great...great...could this possibly get any worse?"

According to Murphy's Law, anything that could go wrong will go wrong, and to answer Carl's rhetorical question, it did get worse. Behind everyone, a group of Powerwild, Dire Plant, and Aeroplane Heartless decided to materialize and threaten everyone. Russell gasped and cowered behind Carl while his jaw just dropped. Paradise Falls did have creatures undiscovered by mankind, but even he knew these creatures weren't to be messed with.

"Heartless!" Xion and Namine cried out as they summoned their Keyblades.

Kairi jumped down from the house and summoned her own weapon. "They can't seem to give us a break, can they?"

"What the heck are those things?" Carl asked..

Russell studied the Heartless and flipped through what appeared to be a guidebook. "Hmm...I can't seem to find these giant bugs in my Wilderness Explorer guide…"

"These aren't bugs. They're worse. We'll handle them!" Kairi explained.

Fresh, and ready for battle, the girls charged right in. Kairi began relentlessly attacking the Dire Plants using a variety of Fire spells and melee combos thanks to her training with Leon. Her shoulder didn't even hurt in the slightest anymore. Kairi laughed as she performed a Slide Dash on a Dire Plant and chopped it right in half, disintegrating it right away. She was back and ready more than ever. As a Dire Plant fired its seeds at her, Kairi held up her Keyblade and blocked the attack, sending it right back to it. Now with it stunned, she aimed and shot a Fire spell at the enemy, taking her next target down.

Much to her misfortune, as Kairi turned around the same seed attack was fired right into her eyes, causing her to lose her sense of sight temporarily. Namine, taking notice of this, hurried over and cast Esuna on Kairi, allowing her to regain her sight back and to counter right back. Xion was having a ball with the Powerwilds. They were fast and strong, but thanks to her new dodging capabilities, she proved to be a challenge for the Heartless. One attempted to claw her only for her to block its attack and counter with a powerful Blitz move and finish it off. Another one kicked her in the back, hard, and Xion went flying forward, but managed to transition her fall into a somersault and allow her to whip around and destroy the Powerwild with a powerful horizontal strike

Namine, who was handling, the Aeroplane Heartless with her various magic spells that could hit aerial enemies really well, ran over and cast Cure on Xion, knowing well the kick wasn't very pleasant. With all three in good condition and three Aeroplane Heartless left, each of the girls decided to finish one off. Xion finished one off with a Strike Raid, Namine finished another off with a Thunder spell, and Kairi finished the last one off with a Vortex move. Despite Namine having to heal them a couple times, the girls felt like they had done better with this battle than they had in previous ones, proving that the training they had done at Radiant Garden was a huge help and worth staying the extra few days. The three of them looked over at Carl and Russell, whose jaws hung wide open.

"Whoa...that was cool…" Russell marveled as he gazed at the girls and their Keyblades. "It's like you ladies are like secret agents or something like that…"

Carl rubbed his forehead. "How many pills did I take this morning…?"

"It's no biggie! We're glad you're okay, though!" Kairi laughed. "My name is Kairi, and this Namine and Xion. We're Keyblade wielders, the Oathkeepers!"

"My name is Russell. I am a Wilderness Explorer in Tribe 54, Sweat Lodge 12."

"Wilderness Explorer?" Xion asked.

"Like a camping group?" Namine also chimed in.

Kairi laughed aloud. "Wait! Like a boy scout?"

Russell shook his head. "No, we're very different from boy scouts. The boy scouts are always kicking dirt in our faces and they always act like they're number one, but we always explore the wilderness. That's why we're called Wilderness Explorers!"

"My girl scout group used to do that too! We loved to go study aquatic life!" Kairi gasped as she remembered fondly.

"You were an explorer too?"

"Sure!" Kairi cleared her throat. "A girl scout is ready to help out wherever she is needed. Willingness to serve is not enough; you must know how to do the job well, even in an emergency." She stood up straight and proudly recited her old motto.

"Here's our motto! An explorer is a friend to all, be it plant, or fish, or a tiny mole! The wilderness must be explored! Caw! Caw! Roar!" Russell recited and finished off with a loud roar that caused nothing but pain and torture to Carl as his hearing aid squealed in response.

Carl groaned as he fiddled with the hearing aid. "Would you knock it off with the noise over there?"

Xion crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Looks like your grandpa is a little on the cranky side, eh?"

"That's not my grandpa. That's Mr. Fredricksen. I'm supposed to assist him, so I can earn my merit badge for assisting the elderly. If I earn that badge, I'll have my whole sash filled and then I'll become a Senior Wilderness Explorer!" He explained as he showed off his sash that was missing one badge.

"I see…" Namine nodded as she studied the sash. "Well, we wish you the best of luck."

Kairi nodded in agreement. "Yeah, hope it works out for you. We'll see you later!" She turned and began following Xion and Namine in the other direction.

"Wait!" Russell called out and chased after the girls. "Where are you guys going?"

"We're on a hunt searching for a very important item to me." Kairi explained as she pulled out her phone and began tapping on the screen, opening up her new tracker.

"You mean like a treasure hunt?"

"Sorta, it's a seashell that Kairi treasures close to her heart." Namine answered as she tugged the back of her ponytail.

Russell nodded, thinking it through. "Okay...I get it." He turned around and looked towards Carl. "Hey Mr. Fredricksen! Can we go on a treasure hunt with the girls?"

"No! We don't have time to play games!" Carl answered in a disgruntled tone. "Now, if you ladies would excuse me, I've got to figure out a way to get over to Paradise Falls."

"Hmmm…." Kairi assessed the house situation and thought or a moment. "Maybe one of us can get into the house and steer it while the rest of us are holding on...but that'd be really unsafe, especially for you and Russell."

"Or-" Xion attempted to make a suggestion.

"Wait! Maybe I can use a wind spell to blow the house over there!" Namine chimed in. She held her Keyblade out and cast a wind spell that was...not the best. In fact, it was awful. It didn't do anything. It was apparent Namine didn't have that spell nailed down yet. "Okay, maybe it's not the strongest wind."

"Or-"

"Hey! Why don't all of us push Mr. Fredrickson up to the house and then he can steer the house himself?" Russell interrupted.

Carl shook his head fiercely. "No! That'll never work! If I could lift myself up, I would've done it already!"

"GUYS!" Xion yelled, getting everyone's attention. "Or...we could just walk the house over to Paradise Falls

"Oh yeah! We can walk it over there like a parade balloon! We do weigh it down enough." Russell nodded in agreement. "If I assist you with walking your house there, will you sign off on my badge?"

"Walk it…? Hmm…" Carl sighed heavily, his eyes darting between Paradise Falls and Russell.

"Aww, come on, Mr. Fredricksen. At least let him try. He only wants to help." Kairi encouraged.

"Well...it seems I don't have much of a choice…Alright, fine."

"Great! Why don't we come with you guys?" Namine suggested.

"Wait, w-what?" Carl stammered.

Kairi held up her phone in front of Carl's eyes. "My tracker is sending us towards Paradise Falls for the location of my seashell. See? We can all walk there together."

"No! Forget it! I'm already stuck with this kid! There's no way I'm bringing along a bunch of teenage girls with me!"

"Hmph, well I'm offended...Gramps here is acting like he's never been around a girl before." Xion rolled her eyes and scoffed while folding her arms.

"Please, can they come, Mr. Fredricksen? They're my friends!" Russell begged.

"You can't make friends with a bunch of girls that are twice your age and you only met them less than an hour ago!"

"Speak for yourself! We're not _that _old!" Kairi retaliated.

Namine held her arm out in front of Kairi and Xion. "Come on, you two. He doesn't want us to travel with him. We should respect his wishes."

"Thank you. Finally someone with a little decency around here…" Carl grumbled.

"It was really nice meeting you, Mr. Fredricksen, Russell." Namine turned both girls around and they began walking in a different direction. "Well, it's too bad Mr. Fredricksen doesn't want our company, especially if those _giant bugs _were to appear again…" She dramatically mentioned with a wink.

Kairi and Xion both looked at each other and smiled mischievously, picking up on Namine's cues. "Oh yeah...those _big bad bugs_…" Xion played along.

"Really disgusting bugs that like to...eat hearts…" Kairi played along in a sinister tone.

"What?" Russell asked, his voice shaking.

Xion nodded. "Oh yeah, they love eating hearts, especially ones that have _aged _like a fine wine…"

"Aged hearts…?" Carl muttered.

"They're very dangerous, but they don't need us, so I guess we'll just continue on our way." Namine sighed dramatically.

Playing along with Namine's brilliant plan, Kairi and Xion followed her, albeit slowly. They knew it was only a matter of time before Carl would change his mind about having them accompany him. The trio walked as if they were in slow-motion, smiling at each other. Xion snuck a peek back and saw that Carl's face was darting between them and the unknown road ahead. He did begin to take into consideration that Paradise Falls was known as a "lost world", so travelling in a jungle of unknown creatures wasn't the best idea. He sighed heavily and loud enough for the girls to hear. This prompted Namine to hold up three fingers and begin counting sound softly.

"Wait!" Carl yelled out. The girls ran back closer to him immediately. "You really mean it about those bugs?"

"If we didn't mean it, we wouldn't have gone through the trouble of getting rid of them." Kairi nodded and folded her arms.

Russell crept over to Kairi and stood by her side. "Please, Mr. Fredricksen...I don't want to those bugs to follow us."

Carl sighed heavily and wiped his brow. "Alright...fine...you can tag along."

"Yes! This is gonna be great!" Russell jumped up and down.

Namine nodded in agreement. "It sure is! Besides, we'll be safer in numbers!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…We have three days to get to the falls before the helium in this balloons give out, so we're gonna walk to the falls quickly and quietly with no rap music or flash dancing, got it?"

"Yes sir!" The girls all responded affirmatively.

The walk proved to be a relaxing one, indeed. Despite them being only in a rugged area of Paradise Falls, Kairi looked forward to exploring the jungle. She had read plenty of stories that took place in the jungles and some of her favorite novels took place in the jungles. For some reason, she had a knack for reading stories about mankind growing up in a jungle whether he was raised by a pack of wolves or a family of apes. Kairi could also vaguely remember experiencing Sora's adventure in the Deep Jungle during the time she hid in his heart. She was so desperate to be able to reach and touch everything, but couldn't, and now, this was her chance.

Xion and Namine had no idea what to expect from hiking in a jungle, but after hearing Carl talk about how Paradise Falls is a place that mankind hardly ever visits, they looked forward to the unique sights and sounds. Russell also proved to be a good travelling companion. He often told stories about the adventures he had as a Wilderness Explorer and Kairi would even recount some of her old childhood stories of being a girl scout. She even remembered one where she was swinging on a rope for an activity, but lost her grip and landed on her tailbone. It was bruised and hurt for the longest time. She managed to shake it off eventually, only supporting how tough of a kid Kairi had grown into.

"Wow, this place is pretty nice. The weather reminds me of home." Kairi sighed as she rested her hands behind her head.

"Home? Where are you from?" Russell asked.

"Well, I live on a tropical island called Destiny Islands."

"Hey…" Russell began to think to himself. "Tropical island...fights with a sword-like weapon...buried treas-wait! Are you secretly a pirate?"

"Pirate?" Xion and Namine asked in unison.

Kairi laughed and shook her head. "Nope, no pirate, but I used to pretend to be a pirate when I was your age, Russell."

"You did?"

"Yep, me and my two best friends, Sora and Riku, we had our own ship and everything. We even almost built a raft a couple years ago so we could see other worlds."

Xion groaned and shook her head. "Ugh...there she goes again with the world order…"

"Come on, Xion. He's just a little kid. It's no big deal."

Russell gasped and looked back at the girls. "Did you say...other worlds?"

"Yeah…" Namine laughed sheepishly. "Do you know about them?"

"I...I don't know." He pointed out a blue badge with stars and a moon on it. "I've learned about other planets. That's where I got my astronomy badge! I was able to name all the planets and their moons. But...it sounds like there's a lot more."

"If planets and worlds are the same thing, then I guess so." Kairi nodded, hoping she and Russell were on the same page.

"Wow, cool…uh, Mr. Fredricksen?"

Carl sighed and rolled his eyes. "What is it, Russell?"

"Did you know that Kairi is from a different world?"

"Impossible!" He declared. Kairi, Namine, and Xion all gasped at his accusation. "There's no way they can be from another world. Mankind lives on Planet Earth. Anything else from anything outside of the earth is impossible."

"Hmm, the next thing you know he's gonna say Santa Claus isn't real." Russell scratched back of his head.

As she watched Russell skip over to Xion and Namine to chat with them, Kairi looked ahead and watched Carl slowly press forward, using his walker for support. Despite having a bad first impression of him, something was drawing her to go talk to him. As much as she preferred to just give him his space, Kairi sighed, deciding to give it a shot. She jogged forward and walked next to him.

"So, Mr. Fredricksen, what brings you...and your house...all the way out here?" Kairi asked.

"Simple, I'm trying to get away from people. Believe me kiddo, enjoy your childhood while it lasts. When you get to be my age, you'll be wishing the years away." Carl answered as he looked up towards his house.

"I...guess I kinda see that...I mean, being a teen is already hard enough."

"Seriously, your teen problems are the least of your problems."

Kairi sighed as he brushed past her, continuing to lead the way. "He doesn't seem like the talking type…" She muttered to herself. "I don't get it. My grandma was never like this."

"He's probably grumpy because it's his naptime. My baby cousin is like that when he doesn't get a nap." Russell pointed out as he and the girls caught up to Kairi.

Namined giggled softly as she sketched. "Well, you can stick with us. We'll make this fun for you."

"Thanks! So, why are we looking for a seashell? It's not like seashells are worth a lot of money. I collected seashells when I went to the beach once, but my dad made me dump them. He said they weren't worth anything." Russell asked.

"Well Russell, sometimes the most valuable things in life don't cost a dime." Kairi answered.

"Like what?"

"Like...memories, or...relationships, or...the big one, love. Those are just a few examples. My seashell is one of them because it's a piece of a lucky charm I made for someone special to me. I always gave it to him when we separated, because it represents a promise that he would always come back and we'd always be together. It was shattered a few months ago, so I'm trying to collect all the pieces. It just might end up saving him." Kairi smiled as she took out the charm and held it tightly.

Russell snickered as he jabbed Kairi in the leg. "Is he your boyfriend?" He teased.

"Uh…" She couldn't hide her blush anymore.

"Oh yeah, Kairi's got it bad." Xion nodded as she wrapped an arm around the redhead.

Namine laughed as she joined the relentless teasing. "Sora is Kairi's special boyfriend and when we save him, she's gonna give him a great big smooch!" She laughed before joining Xion in making kissing noises.

"Guys! You're terrible! And childish too!" Kairi hid her face in her hands and whimpered. "Let's change the subject, please?"

"Hmm…" Russell thought for a moment. "Hey, have an idea! If we get separated, we'll use my Wilderness Explorer call! Caw! Caw! Rawr!"

Carl groaned as his hearing aid began to screech. "Any day now, Ellie…" He grumbled.

"Caw! Caw! Rawr!" All three of the girls repeated.

"Okay! I have an idea for all of you! How about we play a game? It's called, "see who can be quiet the longest." Carl suggested.

Russell smiled widely and hopped in his step. "Cool! My mom loves that game!"

"So does my roommate, Isa." Xion nodded and folded her arms.

The 'quiet' game didn't last very long, but a few miles later, the group had finally arrived in the lush jungle of Paradise Falls. It was everything Kairi imagined it would be. There were bird calls at every corner, bugs buzzing, which Namine wasn't a fan of considering they liked to fly right by her face, but thanks to Russell's explorer kit, he was able to spray everybody with insect repellant, which ended up being extremely helpful since the girls all had what they called 'sugar blood'. Basically, bugs ate them alive when they had the chance to.

Not long after arriving in the jungle, the group came to a fork in the road. They had to go either left or right. The problem was nobody could see what was beyond each pathway. It was incredibly shady after the initial start. Kairi and Carl both darted between each side, struggling to decide which way to go. Kairi decided to pull out her phone and see if the tracker would help. Even if she knew which general direction they were going, the last thing she wanted was to take the wrong path that takes her way off course. She zoomed in on the map screen, hoping it would give her a better idea of which route was faster.

"Okay Kairi, how's our route looking?" Xion asked.

"Here, see for yourself." Kairi answered as she showed it to her.

Namine observed the map before looking at the forked road. "I think...we should go left."

Xion nodded in agreement. "I do too, it looks like a shorter path." She looked ahead and noticed Carl and Russell getting ahead of them. "Yo, Gramps! I think we should go to the left." She hollered.

"Wha…? Forget it! We're going right!"

"But the map looks like left is a shorter route to where my seashell is." Kairi argued.

"Look, I didn't come all this way to find some stupid seashell. I'm getting to Paradise Falls." Carl groaned and turned back to face the girls.

"Hey! My seashell is not stupid! You don't see me calling your house stupid!"

Russell gasped and leaned towards Namine. "Wow, she went there."

"I'll have you know that a house is more than a house while a seashell is just something you find on the ground!"

Xion growled and got in front of Kairi. "Listen, Gramps. We are the last group you wanna mess with…" She curled her hand into a fist and approached Carl.

"Whoa! Whoa! Okay! I think we're all a little edgy because it's hot and we have to differing opinions." Namine said as she ran between Carl and Xion. "Here, what if we just split up? Obviously we can't agree and if we're gonna fight, we might as well just split."

Carl scoffed and began going to the right. "Fine by me! Come on, Russell!"

"Fine by us! Come on, girls!" Xion waved them towards the left.

"Okay...bye, Russell." Kairi said to him as she followed Namine and Xion towards the left path.

Russell watched them leave, his face saddening. "Uh... Mr. Fredricksen…?"

"What?"

"Uh...can I go with Kairi and the girls?"

Carl right and stopped in his tracks. "Fine...if you _really _wanna go with the girls, that's fine by me…"

"Okay!" Russell turned and began going to the left. "Hey Namine! Wait up!"

"Phew, finally some peace and quiet…" Carl grumbled from one side.

Taking the left, Russell and the girls found themselves trekking into a dark woodsy area. Their concern wasn't necessarily getting lost because they stayed on the trail, but it felt very claustrophobic. The reason for it being so dark was from all of the trees and large bushes that towered over everyone. Xion expected this from the forest in Twilight Town, but not from a tropical jungle. Keeping Russell close to them, Kairi sent her to lead the way, seeing if she could see a little bit of light to lead them out. Much to her surprise, there was light from the sun peeking in, serving as the perfect exit for them.

"Okay, it looks like we're turning here…" Xion muttered as she hurried forward and followed the light.

"Cool! We'll be there in no time!" Russell pumped a fist in the air.

Kairi smiled and nodded as she picked up the pace. "Okay...and...AH!"

"AH!" Carl gasped as he suddenly appeared from around the corner. "What are you doing here?"

"What are _we _doing here? What are _you _doing here?" Xion asked irritated.

"I was...and you were...UGH! YOU MEAN THAT FORK IN THE ROAD WAS POINTLESS AND WE JUST ENDED UP IN THE SAME SPOT?" Carl yelled up towards the sky.

Russell giggled. "You guys were fighting for nothing."

"I agree with you, Russell." Namine folded her arms and nodded. "Okay everyone, looks like we don't have much of a choice but to stick together. So, can we just stop arguing and get going? We're all wasting time just standing around."

Kairi sighed, tapping her foot on the ground. "Yeah, Namine's right...we should just be civil and get along until we can get to Paradise Falls, okay?"

Carl sighed. "Well, I guess I don't have much choice...fine." He began walking ahead of the group, grumbling to himself. "Guess this is gonna be a long trip, Ellie."

Namine stopped in her tracks as she heard the name 'Ellie' echo through her mind. For some reason, she heard Carl mumble her name while the others didn't. Instantly, she closed her eyes and found herself drifting off into a daydream. She envisioned a young woman with red hair who wore a safari outfit and appeared to be interacting with a macaw in a location that resembled a tropical jungle. She was laughing as she fed the bird some fruit before turning and appeared to be smiling at Namine. She smiled mischievously and shook her head, almost as if she were playfully teasing someone for doing something they weren't supposed to.

All Namine could ask was, who was Ellie? Was she the girl in this dream?

"Namine? You coming?" Kairi asked from a distance.

"What?" She snapped back to reality. "Y-Yeah, sorry."

Deciding to brush it off, Namine started following the group again. She wanted to stay focused on the mission, but didn't want to forget the dream. Something was telling her to remember it, so she took her sketchbook out and began to draw it while she travelled.

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**A/N: Phew! Done! Btw, the "tailbone story" that Kairi tells in the chapter, yeah...that actually happened to me at summer camp lol And yes, I did give the girls safari outfits! I drew Kairi in hers earlier this week, so head to my Tumblr if you wanna see it! ^^**


	25. Birds, Dogs, an--Squirrel!

**A/N: Yes, I already have this chapter done! I'm somewhat speeding through this world in the sense that I have the next two chapters almost done already! I am also trying to get as far in this fic as possible before ReMind comes out because HYPE! So here ya go!**

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Chapter 25: Birds, Dogs, an-Squirrel!

Russell liked to think that Kairi, Namine, and Xion were something amazing. He liked to think of them as a superhero squad or a team of secret agents as previously mentioned. It was great he found such great friends to look up to. However, as amazing as Russell found them, they weren't invincible or perfect. They had their own sets of flaws and limits. One of these limits, was walking several miles in a hot humid jungle without a break because of Carl's determination to get to Paradise Falls as fast as he could. Technically, the girls could have just taken breaks and let him keep going on his own, but Kairi's good conscience was a curse. She didn't want him to wander off alone in case the Heartless attacked.

This meant everyone walked, and walked, and walked. That's all they did for several miles. Normally, Kairi and the girls wouldn't be struggling so much, but thanks to the weather, it wasn't helping at all. Not to mention, Kairi's body wasn't cooperating with her the best that day anyway. It frustrated her because after being at Radiant Garden for days and training, she was ready to get back on her feet again, but it looked like her body wasn't ready after all. Xion was suffering just as much and poor Russell was suffering the worst. The poor kid was out of shape and it was apparent that the lack of breaks and nutrition was catching up to him. It also didn't help that Carl's hearing aid was starting to act up, which was driving Xion crazy and Namine was being too happy for her own good just prancing around the jungle, drawing in her sketchbook.

"Gramps, if you can't get the darn thing to work, PLEASE JUST TURN IT OFF!" Xion yelled in frustration.

"It's not my fault this thing is acting up! It's all those animal noises you all keep making!" Carl lashed back. He finally got the hearing aid to cooperate and looked back, noticing Russell and the girls slacking behind. "Come on, would you guys hurry up?"

"I"m tired, and my knee hurts." Russell complained as he continued to slouch.

"I'm cramping up…Come to think of it, I've been cramping up for days now." Kairi groaned as she held her stomach.

Xion nodded and held her stomach. "Me too...it hurts to walk…"

"Aww, come on you guys! Where's your sense of adventure?" Namine sighed as she looked around and drew the jungle's environments in her sketchbook. "Just look at this place! There's beautiful trees, great rockwork, and look at this!" She hurried over to a green parrot and observed it closely. "Look at how beautiful this creature is! This place is just incred...incred…" Namine suddenly dropped her sketchbook and dropped to her knees holding her stomach like Kairi and Xion. "Incredibly painful! I'm cramping so bad here!" She whimpered.

Russell finally collapsed onto the ground. "I don't wanna walk anymore, can we stop?" He moaned, his voice muffled by the ground.

"Yeah, can't we stop for a minute, Mr. Fredricksen? At least give the kid a break." Kairi asked as she knelt down and rested her hand on Russell's back.

"If all of you don't hurry up, the tigers will eat you." Carl warned the group.

"There are no tigers in South America. Ask my zoology badge!" Russell argued, still groaning. "I hurt everywhere and I have to go to the bathroom!"

Carl put his hands on his hips and glared at Russell. "I asked you that five minutes ago!"

"But I didn't have to go then! Now I really have to go, bad!"

"Me too!" Kairi, Xion, and Namine added in unison.

"Alright, who here has to go to the bathroom?" Carl asked as he rubbed his temples in defeat. All four in the group raised their hands in response. "Okay, fine, go into the bushes and do your business."

"Okay! Here, hold my stuff!" Russell hopped from the ground and left his backpack with Carl.

Kairi sighed in relief and clapped her hands together. "Great! Okay, Russell you go to those bushes. Girls, we'll take those trees over there."

"Yes ma'am!" He saluted.

The girls split off from Russell to go and do their business. Well, doing business is typically a very simple process. However, when a girl becomes a young woman, that's when sometimes, it becomes more than a process. By sometimes, think like, once a month and for a whole week. It is a time when mother nature sends her "precious gift". It's very unfortunate for a young lady and it usually starts at the most inconvenient time. Kairi was no different. She had her own set of bad luck when it came to this and unfortunately for her, it began while being stuck in the middle of the jungle. She always prepared herself, so she was able to take care of herself properly. However, there was one thing that was missing that contributed to her misery. There wasn't a single ice cream shop nearby for her indulge her body's misery with.

"Ugh...of course. Of course!" Kairi washed her hands in a small pool of water. "Going on a journey where you risk your life doesn't change anything. I _would _get my period when I'm out in the middle of the jungle. Good thing I packed these bad boys." She patted her pouch.

Kairi jumped at the sounds of Xion and Namine both screaming.

"Heartless? Xion! Namine!" She drew her Keyblade and ran in the directions from where the screams came from, which were deeper in the bushes. She came to stop once she saw Xion and Namine kneeling down with their upper bodies sticking out from behind bushes. "Hey, you two okay? I heard screaming."

"Kairi...we don't know how to explain this. It's...really weird." Xion scratched the back of her head.

Namine nodded. "Yeah...it's really gross too."

"What happened? Come on, you two. You can tell me." Kairi asked as she flashed a wide smile.

"Well…" Namine waved her over. "We were going to the bathroom and…" She leaned in and began whispering in her ear.

Kairi's eyes widened at what Namine was saying and began to squint her face slightly. "Oh...uh...well...I...uh…"

"You get what we're saying, right Kairi?" Xion asked, her face red from embarrassment.

"Oh...believe me, I know exactly what you're talking about." She finally knelt down to Xion and Namine's level with a serious, yet uncomfortable look on her face. "I think it's time I tell you two what it's like to be a woman."

_**I couldn't believe it. Here I was, 16 years old, giving 'the talk' to Xion and Namine. I wasn't expecting to give this talk until I had my own daughter. Then again, when was my life normal anyway? Just a heads up, if Axel hasn't done so already, you may wanna give Roxas this same talk when you get the chance to.**_

"Wow...all of that just to have babies?" Xion asked with a disgusted look on her face.

Namine had to take a deep breath. "That's a lot. Why don't guys have anything like that?"

Kairi folded her arms and rolled her eyes. "Because men are big babies who can't handle this kind of heavy stuff."

"You're telling me. Axel stubbed his toe and whined about it for twenty minutes the week before we left." Xion stood up completely once she was finished with Namine following right behind her. "Well, if we're done with the 'mother nature' talk, we should go find Russell and meet back up with Mr. Fredricksen."

"I agree. This talk is making me uncomfortable." Namine nodded in agreement.

"Tell me about it..."

Russell managed to pop out of nowhere, nearly spooking the girls. "Hey girls! What were you talking about?" He asked.

"Nothing!" All three of them shook their heads in unison.

Kairi looked at her watch and laughed sheepishly. "Well, we can't keep Mr. Fredricksen waiting, let's go...meet up...uh, guys? Which way did we come from?"

"I...don't remember. Namine?" Xion asked.

Naming shook her head. "I've got nothing."

"Hey, there's no need to worry! My Wilderness Explorer guide tells us to look out for our footprints. We'll just follow those back to the main path." Russell suggested as he began studying the ground.

"Good plan. Don't wander far, Russell." Kairi said in a more serious tone.

"Yes ma'am!"

Each of the kids had begun taking a look around, staring at the ground and hoping they could find their footprints. It sounded like it should've been easy, except for the fact that neither one of them stayed on the trail when they dispersed to their bathroom spots. The fact that there were other animals and plants that could've easily covered their footprints didn't help either. Kairi groaned and shook her head, wishing that she had kept better track of their location instead of worrying about how her body was making her miserable.

While the girls were searching, Russell had found his way back to the trail and had discovered a set of footprints. However, they weren't human footprints. They were large and twiggy. It was obvious that these tracks belonged to either a bird or a reptile. Russell bent down and studied the tracks closer. He gasped as he realized what the tracks possibly belonged to.

"Snipe!" He lowered his voice as he began to carefully follow the tracks down the incorrect path, softly clapping. "Here, snipe. Come on out, snipe." Russell continued to follow the tracks until he was far enough in the jungle that he was out of Kairi's sight. "Oh, snipe. It's okay, snipe." He jumped at the sound of rustling bushes. "Snipe? You can come out now, snipe. It's okay, snipe." Before he knew it, Russell found himself off the trail and deeper in the jungle, coming face-to-face with anything but a snipe.

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"Look, you two! Tracks! It matches our footprints!" Kairi declared confidently as she pointed out footprints that matched the bottom of her boots.

"Wow, good work, Kairi." Xion nodded with amusement.

"I wasn't kidding when I said I was a girl scout back in the day."

Namine nodded. "Now, let's get Russell and meet back up with Mr. Fredricksen. He's probably losing his mind waiting for us." She turned and began to call. "Oh Russell! Come on! We found our tracks!" She waited, only for no response. "R-Russell? Russell?"

"Russell!" Kairi got up and also yelled out his name. "Oh my gosh! We lost Russell!" She panicked, her voice raised an octave. "He's out there alone! Who knows what could happen to him?"

Xion held Kairi by the arm, attempting to calm her down. "Calm down, Kairi. Let's go get Mr. Fredricksen and have him help us find Russell."

"Are you crazy? He already doesn't want Russell around! Come on, we have to find him ourselves." Kairi led Xion and Namine around the area, calling out Russell's name. "He's not answering, it's starting to worry me a lot. Uh...wait! The Wilderness Explorer call!"

"You're not gonna seriously try it, are you?" Xion asked as she folded her arms and raised her eyebrows.

Kairi shrugged her shoulders. "It's what Russell knows best. Caw! Caw! Rawr!" She attempted. There was no answer. "Come on, you two, help me out!" Xion and Namine looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders before joining Kairi in doing the call. "Caw! Caw! Rawr!"

"Aaaaahhhhhhh!" Russell shouted from deeper in the jungle.

"He's in trouble! Come on! We have to hurry!"

Before leaving, Kairi managed to spot Russell's footprints on the trail that followed tracks that to her, looked suspiciously like Heartless tracks. They followed the trail and deeper into the jungle, following Russell's anguish cries. Considering how fearless of a kid he was, the girls knew in their gut that there had to be a Heartless stalking about and their gut instincts were correct with they saw him levitating in the air hanging by his ankle. Judging by how controlled his floating was, Kairi knew exactly what this particular Heartless was.

"Hey! Drop him!" Kairi yelled.

Namine aimed her Keyblade and shot a Fire spell, causing the invisible Heartless to whimper in pain and jerk its body about. It dropped Russell before finally revealing its identity. The giant green lizard-like Heartless that resembled a monstrous chameleon lived up to its name, Stealth Sneak.

"Russell! Get away from that thing!" Kairi demanded as she drew her Keyblade. Russell ran away and hid behind a large rock, leaving the girls to fight the Heartless. "Time for a little rumble in the jungle, right girls?"

"Yeah!" Xion and Namine both agreed as they drew their own Keyblades.

Knowing how fast and deadly this Heartless was, Kairi exchanged affirming looks with Namine and Xion before the three separated, hoping to confuse the Stealth Sneak. The Heartless jerked its head around, struggling to decide who its first target should be. It cried in pain as it felt the brunt of Xion's Keyblade wailing on its foot. To counter, it blindly kicked Xion back, sending her flying towards a tree. Taking her training into account, Xion arched into a backwards somersault and used her feet to launch herself forward from the tree that would've knocked the wind out of her. She flew past the Stealth Sneak, the tips of her blade's teeth scraping over the top of the Heartless' scaly skin.

Stealth Sneak whipped its head in the direction Xion flew from as it stumbled backwards from the impact of her attack. After catching sight of Namine, the Heartless disappeared before it lowered its head and charged towards her, completely nullifying the Blizzard spell she shot. She cried out in pain as the horn impaled her in the side and knocked her out of the way. She collapsed onto the ground, holding her side. Kairi, who was getting ready to Slide Dash her way into the beast, ran over to Namine and cast Cure on her. She held her up, allowing both of them to jump right back into battle.

Namine cast Blizzard, forming an icy ramp so Kairi could have a strong start. Jumping off the edge of the ramp, Kairi tossed her Keyblade, performing the Hydro Raid moved she was struggling with, but managed to nail this time. Her Keyblade smacked Stealth Sneak right behind the head before returning to Kairi, who landed on the other side with Xion. Namine followed right behind and leapt off the ramp, casting a powerful Thunder spell and taking advantage of the fact that the beast was now wet from Kairi's aquatic attack.

With all three girls on one side, they had the Stealth Sneak cornered against some trees. It was obvious that it was rather weakened from the brutal beating against it, but like any other Heartless, it was ruthlessly stubborn in taking down its enemy and chose to shake it off.

"Looks like we've got you cornered!" Kairi taunted.

Deciding to make Kairi eat her own words, Stealth Sneak turned and hissed at the girls before launching off its hind legs and jumping over the girls, now leaving them cornered instead.

"F….arkleburgers…" Xion cursed.

Steal Sneak crept towards the girls and hissed, leaving them not much room to attack or evade. It finally raised itself up on its hind legs and began charging energy beams in its eyes. Kairi and Xion trembled in their skin while Namine put her brain on hyperdrive, trying to think of a way they could get out. She inhaled deeply as an idea hit her. This was her first time using this spell since training, but figured she needed to go for it. Namine ran forward and leapt up, holding her Keyblade high and ignoring the two friends that reached out for her, fearing for their friend's life.

"SLEEP!" Namine yelled.

The trio watched as multicolored beams swirled around Namine before beginning to rotate around Steal Sneak. Its attack was interrupted as suddenly, its body became sluggish and the eyes grew droopy. The hisses had now turned into deep breaths and the Stealth Sneak's body now drifted back and forth. The girls quickly ran out of the way as the Heartless suddenly lost its balance and collapsed forward, eyes completely shutting. Kairi crept toward the Stealth Sneak and saw it slowly inhaling and exhaling, peacefully sleeping like a baby. It almost looked...cute, in a dark kind of way.

"Wow, it worked!" Namine laughed.

Xion patted her on the back. "Good job, Nami! Now, let's finish this thing off!" She said as she held up her Keyblade.

"Wait Xion," Kairi took hold of Xion's Keyblade and lightly pushed it down. "Let's let it go."

"You're kidding…"

Kairi shook her head. "Let's let it sleep. I just...have this feeling inside, right here." She rested her hand over her chest. "With it being asleep, that gives us enough time to get out of harm's way."

"Right." Namine nodded.

"Well, at least we're safe at last…" Xion wiped her brow and sighed as she followed the other girls out of sight from the Stealth Sneak.

"Yeah…" Kairi caught her breath and looked over at Russell, who appeared from around the boulder with a guilty look. "Russell, you can't just run off like that. You could've been really hurt." She knelt down to his level and said in a firm tone.

"I'm sorry, Kairi...I usually know my way back, but this time, that giant monster-like thing appeared." He apologized with his head held low. "Plus, usually if my dad lets me go out with him, he lets me explore by myself. He doesn't usually notice I'm gone until I get back to him."

"Doesn't he get angry with you when that happens?" Namine asked.

Russell shook his head. "Nope. He's okay with it."

Kairi sighed after thinking for a moment and set her Keyblade down. "I know you think it's cool that we can keep defeating these monsters, but they're no laughing matter. They really hurt people…and I don't want you to get hurt. The world is a more dangerous place than you think it is. Promise you'll stay close to us, and that goes for your parents too."

"I promise. Wilderness Explorer's honor!" Russell saluted.

"Good! Now, let's get back to Mr. Fredricksen. He's definitely losing his mind right now." Xion suggested.

"Yeah, but can have a snack? I'm kinda hungry." Russell asked.

"Well, we're already out here, what's a few more minutes?" Kairi answered with a shrug.

"Great! Here!" Russell pulled out a bunch of chocolate bars and began handing them out. "It's really good chocolate!"

Xino gasped and tore open the wrapping. "Finally! I've been craving chocolate for days now!" She sighed as she bit into the bar. "So good…"

"Oh yeah…" Namine nodded as she smiled widely.

Everyone seemed to enjoy their chocolate, especially the girls, but being in the jungle, a snack break wasn't a normal snack break. Over by Russell, he heard a rustling from the bushes. Considering what had happened before with Stealth Sneak, he should've backed away immediately, but being a fearless Wilderness Explorer, he leaned further in, hoping to catch sight of what was making the noise.

Unbeknownst to him, Russell had accidentally held his chocolate bar too far out to the side from him. Because of this, a large reddish orange beak poked out of the other side and nipped at the chocolate bar, causing him to jump from the sudden yanking. He hurried over to the other side and decided to seek them out too. It was strange, there was nothing in there. Instead, Russell did the same thing, accidentally holding his chocolate bar out too far and getting it nipped at by the mysterious beak once again. Russell reacted the same way, albeit a little more vocal and getting the attention of the girls this time.

"Russell, what are you looking for?" Namine asked.

"I felt something grab onto my chocolate bar." Russell said in a hushed tone.

Xion shrugged her shoulders and took another bite, holding her bar to the side. "It was probably just the wind." From the bushes, the beak stuck out and attempted to nibble on her chocolate. "Hey! Don't eat my chocolate...whatever you are!"

"Xion, who are you talking to?" Kairi asked.

"I felt the same thing Russell did. Something was trying to eat my chocolate bar. The nerve!"

"Aww, you're not falling victim to the heat too, are you, Xion?" Kairi teased as she accidentally held her bar to the side, giving the beak access to her treat. She gasped as she felt a grip and turned, noticing the beak. "Whoa! Hey! What is that thing?" She leapt back, the beak also retreating back into the bushes.

Russell ran in front of Kairi and held up his hands. "Wait, Kairi! I know what that is." He lowered his voice to a whisper. "We can't scare it."

Namine got closer to them. "So, what is it?"

"It's a snipe. I was supposed to find it for Mr. Fredricksen." He leaned into the bushes. "Don't be afraid, little snipe. I am a Wilderness Explorer, so I'm a friend to all of nature. These girls are my friends. They won't let those scary monsters hurt you." He pulled out his chocolate bar and held it in front of him. "Here, want some more?"

"Russell, I don't think that's a good…" Kairi gasped as she saw the beak carefully poke out of the bushes, nibbling at the chocolate bar. "Wow...it likes chocolate…"

A smile formed on Russell's face as the beak emerged more. "Hi, boy. Don't eat it all. Come on out." He encouraged as he started to pull the chocolate more toward him. "Come on out, little snipe. Don't be afraid, little snipe. Good snipe."

The beak retreated back into the bushes, leaving Russell puzzled for a moment. It wasn't long until a larger feathered body emerged from behind and cast a large shadow on all of them. Xion was the first of the trio to notice, her jaw dropping instantly.

"Uh...guys…?" Xion tapped on Namine and Kairi's shoulders. All three of them looked up and gasped as they saw the emerging body. "What the…?"

"Giant snipe." Russell muttered.

Back at the rest stop, Carl was growing impatient. It had been a good long while since the kids had gone to use the bathroom and for some unknown reason to him, they still hadn't returned. He paced back and forth, switching between talking to himself and talking to his house. Deciding that pacing wasn't going to make everyone return faster, Carl decided to lean against one of the trees and snooze a little bit. Considering it was the afternoon and Carl usually like to nap in the afternoon, he felt like this would do the trick. Although, timing so far hasn't been on his side this trip and this particular moment was no different. Not even three minutes after shutting his eyes, Kairi and the girls popped out from the bushes and woke him up.

"It's about time! You guys were gone for an hour! What took you so long?" Carl asked impatiently.

"First off, girls don't have the same luxury of going to the bathroom in the wilderness easily like men do. Secondly, we...kinda got held up by something." Kairi explained.

"Well, whatever it was, let's just keep going." He turned around and began untying the hose that was around a tree limb. Unbeknownst to him, Russell had caught up with the snipe, who had pretty loud footsteps, right beside him.

"I found the snipe!" Russell announced.

Carl chuckled, almost in a mocking manner. "Oh, did you?"

"Are they tall?"

"Oh yes, they're very tall."

Namine rubbed the side of the snipe's body. "Do they have a lot of colors?"

"They do, indeed!" Carl continued to play along.

"Do they like chocolate?" Xion asked.

"Oh ye...chocolate?" Carl finally turned around and came face to face to the large bird that towered over him. It made eye contact and squawked at him, causing the old man to nearly have a heart attack. "What is that thing?"

"It's a snipe!" Russell answered cheerfully.

"There's no such thing as a snipe!"

Kairi folded her arms. "Well...according to Russell, he was supposed to be finding one for you."

"Eh..but..eh…" Carl stammered.

"Besides, look how cute he is!" Namine laughed as the bird wrapped his neck around her body and cooed. He squawked toward Carl, who continued to grumble. "Aww, what a sweet thing you are!"

Kairi laughed as she rubbed his sides. "Kinda reminds me of Koko. Whoa!" The bird picked Kairi up and threw her up briefly before having her land on his stomach, allowing him to snuggle with her. "I guess I have a knack for giant birds."

"And boys who like to cuddle." Xion snickered.

"Hey, Sora and I haven't cuddled together since we were kids. Besides, do I need to remind you about the night before we left Twilight Town with a certain blonde boy?" Kairi teased back.

"Uh...eh...mmm…" She stammered while blushing.

Russell laughed. "I told you! Isn't he great?"

"Alright! Go on! Get out of here! Shoo!" Carl growled and began waving his arms toward the bird.

The bird only hissed and squawked back at Carl. While he couldn't care more or less about the old man yelling at him, the bird was more than happy to continue playing around with Russell and the girls. He hopped onto his feet before slipping his head through Xion's legs, allowing her to slide down his neck and land on his back safely. She laughed as he lightly bounced his body up and down, making for an interesting ride. Namine smiled widely as she broke off a piece of chocolate and fed it to the bird, who could only squawk with delight.

After bouncing Xion off his back, the bird took hold of Russell and hopped high into a tree, perching on a branch. He tossed the young explorer up a number of times before catching him with his feet and swinging backwards on the branch. Kairi nodded with admiration. The island had its own share of tropical birds, but none were as acrobatic or even as big as this one. Not to mention, this bird was actually playing around with them as opposed to flying away upon eye contact or even worse, pooping on them from above.

"See? He likes us, Mr. Fredricksen!" Russell laughed.

"Seriously! Go on! Get out of here!" Carl poked the bird with his walker.

With one big squawk in retaliation, the bird decided he had enough of Carl harassing him and the kids for having a good time. He climbed off the tree and began creeping towards Carl with a harsh scowl on his face. Carl didn't think it was possible to be afraid of a bird, but this one was at least twice his height and seemed very capable of harming him, especially when he spread out his wings, a common practice of many birds who feel threatened or are trying to pick a fight with someone. He growled at the old man, who found himself cornered up against another tree.

"Should we do something, guys?" Namine asked.

Xion snickered. "Nah, the bird can't do any major damage."

"Uh oh…" Russell ran forward and got between Carl and the bird. "No! Kevin! It's okay, Mr. Fredricksen is nice."

"Kevin?" Everyone else asked in unison.

"Yeah, that's what I just named him!"

Carl began charging forward with his walker. "Beat it! Scram!" Suddenly, Kevin grabbed the walker and swallowed it. Or, at least he tried to. "Hey! That's mine!" Kevin managed to gag on the walker and threw it back up, causing Carl to groan in disgust. "Shoo! Shoo! Get out of here!" He demanded, only for Kevin to squawk and wave his wings in a mocking manner. "Go on! Beat it!" Carl finally gave up yelling at the bird when he got tired of being mocked by the animal. Instead, he went back to untying his house and getting ready to keep moving.

"So, can we keep him, Mr. Fredricksen?" Kairi asked as she rode on top of Kevin's body.

"Yeah!" Russell agreed. "I'll feed him, walk him, and change his newspapers."

"No."

"Aww, come on, Gramps! Don't be such a stick in the mud! Besides, it's like free transportation!" Xion vouched as she rode on Kevin's back.

"I said no…"

Russell, fed up with Carl rejecting their request, ran up to him with a harsh scowl on his face. "An explorer is a friend to all, be it fish, or plant, or a tiny mole!" He recited part of his motto.

Carl scoffed. "That doesn't even rhyme!"

Namine rolled her eyes as Kevin rested his head on her shoulder. "Regardless of whether it rhymes or not. I'm sure he won't be any trouble. Right, Kevin?" She asked before he suddenly snatched her sketchbook with his beak and swallowed it whole. "Hey! That's my sketchbook! Give that back, Kevin!" She scolded him.

"You see what I mean?" Carl grumbled.

"Alright, Kevin! Spit it out!" Xion demanded. The bird gagged, like he did with the walker, and spit it out at Namine's feet.

"Eww…" Namine muttered in disgust as she picked up the saliva-infested book.

Kairi shrugged her shoulders. "Okay, so he eats all the time. That's no reason to leave him behind."

Carl groaned and looked up at his house. "Can you believe what I'm dealing with, Ellie?"

"Ellie?" Kairi repeated the name out loud.

"He names his house, Ellie?" Xion asked as she scratched her head.

Russell looked up at the house and thought for a moment. "Hey Ellie, can I keep the bird?" The house only continued to float with Carl's eyes darting between it and Russell. "Uh huh...uh huh...she said for you to let me keep the bird."

"But I told him no!" Carl yelled up to the house before snapping back to Russell. "I told you no! N-O!" Kevin only squawked back at him. "Agh for the love of Pete..." He began walking ahead grumbling to himself, not even bothering to care anymore that Kevin was sticking around with Russell and the girls.

"I guess that means he's staying! Come here, Kevin! Follow us!" Russell laughed as he held out the chocolate bar for him.

Xion sighed as she rested her hands behind her head. "It's about time Gamps loosened up a little, right?"

"Yeah. I feel like Mr. Fredricksen should spend a day with Sora. It'd be good for him." Kairi nodded in agreement.

Namine stopped in her tracks and looked up at the house. "Ellie…? He named the house Ellie...Hmmm…."

Despite the group continuing to press on, Namine got her sketchbook and began drawing the exact vision that had begun flashing before her very eyes. In the vision, it was the same redheaded girl that she saw earlier that day. She was still very intrigued, but unsure of who this girl was. It looked like she was inside of a house, dusting the mantle of the fireplace. It was quite a piece of furniture containing framed photos and what appeared to be rare collectibles. It was all stationed in front of a beautifully painted wall that appeared to be a house on top of a cliff.

The girl had placed a jar on a table that said 'Paradise Falls" on it. In the jar, she had tossed in what appeared to be a quarter before making eye contact and making an 'X' over her chest with her finger. Namine gasped at the little motion. Riku had mentioned to her before how Organization XIII had marked Sora with an 'X' across his frontal area as a way to track him. She didn't remember this girl from Organization XIII at all. Axel was the only red-headed member unless Marluxia was counted with his rose gold colored hair. Namine sighed and shook her head as she sketched aggressively. There was no way, it had to be a coincidence. Instead, Namine imitated the motion herself. What did it mean? What could it mean?

One thing for sure, Namine was confident that this girl she was seeing in these visions was Ellie. The odds of her appearing after every time she heard Carl mention her name and not being Ellie were slim now. Namine thought about Ellie as she imitated the motion repeatedly. It wasn't until she suddenly started hearing a heartbeat that she finally understood what Ellie had meant. _Cross...my….heart…._Namine thought to herself. Ellie had made a promise to somebody.

Namine had come to the realization that this was a past memory and she was experiencing it through someone else's eyes, but whose were they? Were they Carl's? Whoever they belonged to, she had made a promise to make it to Paradise Falls, and Carl seemed determined more than ever to make that promise a reality. She started to think back to another promise, not one made by Ellie, but a promise made by the Riku Replica, the one he made to always protect her. She never forgot that promise, and even if he wasn't there physically, she knew in her heart he was keeping his promise. Namine couldn't help but giggle. Riku was good at keeping that promise alive, whether he felt that way or not.

Realizing just how important Ellie's promise was, Namine had suddenly become more determined than anyone in the group to help Carl make it to Paradise Falls. She started to believe that Ellie had made a promise to him, which would explain why he came all the way here. It wasn't to just get away from people like he said it was. She looked up at the house from her sketchbook and officially crossed her heart. _This, is my promise to you. I will carry on your promise for Mr. Fredricksen. _She pulled out her star charm and gazed down upon it. _Just like Riku...will carry on yours for me._

"Namine!" Kairi called out her name and came fogging back to her. "Are you okay? You kinda just stopped and seemed to lose your train of thought again."

"Y-Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just...thinking."

"Anything you need to talk about?" She offered her attention.

Namine shook her head and smiled. "No, I was just thinking...I really hope Mr. Fredricksen can make it to Paradise Falls safely."

"I do too. Hopefully with us tagging along, he'll be just fine."

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Despite Carl's best attempts to ward off the bird from the rest of the group, Kevin continued to stick around, especially with Russell and the girls continuing to feed him chocolate. He followed the little morsels like a dog following a trail of treats. He proved to be a great travelling companion, especially when each of the kids rotated who was going to be riding on his back. Kevin even attempted to carry Russell by the back of his shorts, but that proved to not be the best idea when he began to complain of getting a wedgie. Namine even offered Carl to ride on Kevin while she took his place in holding down the house, but he declined, continuing to be stubborn about letting the bird accompany them.

Once they were out of the jungle and back out in a more rugged area with rock foundations, the length of the trip started to hit the girls. They preferred the lush green environment with the shade and animal sounds echoing as opposed to...rocks, rocks, and more rocks. Oh yeah, it was foggy too, so there went any chance of there being color to this area. If it weren't for Kevin all four of the kids would've been bored out of their mind. In an attempt to remind them that this wasn't meant to be a road trip and they were just trying to get to the falls, Carl turned around and tried to shoo Kevin away. This time, he was loud enough that his voice echoed around and it was enough that someone a decent distance away could hear him.

"Hey, are you okay over there?" A voice called from the distance, causing Kevin to scurry out of sight.

"Who's out there?" Kairi asked as she drew her Keyblade.

Carl held his arm out in front of her. "Hold it, it's probably nobody."

"With all due respect, Mr. Fredricksen, never trust a voice you can't see. You never know who it belongs to."

Xion scanned the area until she saw what looked like a human figure and pointed them out. "Hey, look! There's a guy over there!"

"Oh! Hello, sir! Thank goodness. It's nice to know someone else is up here." Carl sighed in relief and led the group toward the human figure.

"I can smell you." The voice said again.

"What? You can...smell us?"

Namine tilted her head with an eyebrow raised. "Riku?" Everyone else turned and looked at her with confused looks on their faces. "Don't ask."

"Noted…" Carl mumbled.

"I can smell you." The voice repeated.

Kairi's first impression was that if this person was supposed to be threatening, he wasn't doing a very good job. She dismissed her Keyblade and followed the group as they crept closer to the person. The closer they got, the more their angle shifted, and it turned out that the 'person' they were talking to, was a couple of rock formations that just happened to line up perfectly and look like a human figure. The girls couldn't help but giggle slightly. They've each done some silly stuff in the past, but neither one of them have ever talked to a rock. Although Xion did think back to the time Roxas picked up a stick and tried to use it as a Keyblade, but that was all on Roxas and not her, so she was free from that embarrassment.

"Hey…" Carl sighed in disappointment.

Russell snickered. "You were talking to a rock."

"Guess Mr. Fredricksen's caught between a rock and a hard place." Xion laughed. Kairi and Namine groaned and shook their heads.

"Hey, some of these rocks look like animals." Russell pointed out. "That one looks like a turtle. That one looks like a dog."

From within the fog, the 'rock' stood up on all fours and trotted towards Russell. He slowly revealed himself to be a young golden retriever, who stopped in front of them while panting and wagging his tail.

"Whoa! It is a dog!" Xion gasped.

Russell backed away, standing by Kairi. "Uh...we're not allowed to have dogs in my apartment." He mentioned with uncertainty in his voice.

"I don't think we have anything to worry about. He seems friendly, right?" Kairi knelt down to the dog's level and held out her hand, allowing him to sniff it before nuzzling against her body. "See? Oh, you're very friendly!" She laughed as she began rubbing his sides.

"Hey...I like dogs." Russell said as he began to pet him on the head.

"Me too!" Xion knelt down and began rubbing the dog's back.

Namine laughed and joined in on the fun. "What a cutie he is! Oh!" She turned her face as he began to lick the side of it.

Carl approached the dog and observed him. "Wonder who he belongs to. He has a collar so he definitely has an owner."

"Hey, sit, boy." Russell commanded. The dog sat immediately. "Look, he's trained!"

Kairi held out her hand. "Shake. Good boy!" She praised as the dog place his paw into her own hand.

"Speak!" Xion laughed and called out.

"Hi there."

Everyone gasped and froze in place. It didn't take long for either one of them to realize that the voice they were hearing earlier had come from this exact dog. Yet, there was a side of them that wanted to deny that the dog had actually spoken and maybe the heat was only getting to them. Yeah, that had to be it, right?

"Did that dog just say, 'hi there'?" Carl asked slowly.

"Oh, yes." The dog trotted over to Carl and hopped onto him while wagging his tail. "My name is Dug. I just met you and I love you!"

"Awww…." The girls all cooed.

"Uh...eh...well...uh…" Carl stammered.

"My master made me this collar. He is a good and smart master, and he made me this collar so that I may talk-squirrel!" Dug immediately stopped and stared off in a different direction with his ears perked up. "My master is good and smart!"

Carl shook his head in denial. "It's not possible!"

"It is! Because my master is smart!"

"Hey, I'm not gonna complain." Kairi laughed and shook her head.

Dug gasped as he turned and trotted towards Kairi. "Hey! I like you! I like you a lot!" He hopped onto her.

"I like you too, Dug!" She held him up with her arms.

"What is your name, human?"

"My name's Kairi."

"Oh, Kairi! I really like you a lot! You look really nice and pretty and you smell really good!"

Kairi laughed and blushed. "Wow, thank you."

"You smell like coconut! I love coconut! Those other girls also smell like cocon-wait!" He paused and began sniffing her pockets. "I smell peanut butter! Do you have peanut butter in those pockets? I love peanut butter!"

"Actually…" She set Dug down and reached into her pocket, pulling out the last of Selphie's peanut butter cookies. "Would you like a cookie?"

"Oh yes! Yes! Cookie! Cookie!" Dug wagged his tail like crazy and barked. He watched as Kairi tossed the cookie into his mouth, allowing him to chew and indulge in the moistness of the cookie. "Mmmm...oh that was good! More cookies? More cookies?"

"Sorry Dug, I'm all out…"

"Aww…" Dug lowered his ears and whimpered. His head poked up as he began circling around and sniffing the ground. "I am a great tracker. My pack sent me on a special mission all by myself. Have you seen a bird? I want to find one, and I've been on the scent. I am a great tracker, did I mention that?"

"Uh...yes?" Xion answered.

Kevin suddenly tackled Dug and squawked right in his face. "Hey, that is the bird! I have never seen one up close, but this is the bird. May I take your bird back to camp as my prisoner?" He asked as he sniffed Kevin out.

"Yes, you can take it. And on the way, learn how to bark like a real dog." Carl answered as he brushed past the animals and began continuing the hike.

"I can bark!" Dug mentioned, followed by a bark. "And here's howling!" He howled with Kevin squawking at him right after.

"Whoa...can't we keep him, please?" Russell begged.

"I'm definitely okay with it." Xion nodded as she helped Dug off the ground. "Besides, a cute fluffy fella like him will only last so long out here without human interaction."

"No, we're not keeping him." Carl rejected...again.

"But it's a talking dog!" Russell argued.

"Look, at this rate, we're gonna become a traveling flea circus, so once again, I'm gonna say no!"

It didn't take long before Dug officially joined the group. He continued to stick around Kevin, asking him to be his prisoner, which only confused everyone as to why he wanted to take the bird prisoner. Nonetheless, they did become a travelling flea circus, and this road trip was only about to get crazier the longer these different personalities were stuck with each other. For Kairi though, she kept an eye on her phone and saw that they were indeed making progress toward finding her seashell, giving her confidence that it wouldn't be much longer until they found it.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

As it turned out, Dug wasn't the only dog strangely located in Paradise Falls. There were a few others of varying breeds, all wearing the same collars that allowed them to communicate with humans. These particular few appeared to be on the trail based on their careful steps and their snouts resting against the ground. The smallest one, a bulldog, appeared to find the same tracks that Russell had found earlier in the day. It didn't take him long to realize that the tracks did belong to the bird that he was tracking along with his partner, a rottweiler, who was off sniffing out the area surrounding the trail.

"Oh! I found the bird's scent!" The bulldog announced. "I'm getting...what're you getting, Beta?"

Beta sniffed the ground. "I've got...chocolate! I smell chocolate! You, Gamma?"

"I'm getting prunes...and denture cream...and...ooooh…."

"Coconut…" Both dogs sighed in unison.

"I'm also getting moisturizer. Pretty sure it's that 'pretty girl' smell." Beta panted.

"Yeah, pretty girl smell!" Gamma barked.

"Y'know what this means though? It means that bird followed these humans or these humans took the bird. If someone took the bird, then master's not gonna be happy."

"Oh...I'm not ready to tell the master yet." Gamma said as he lowered his head and whimpered.

"Neither am I. I say we follow the tracks. They're a bunch of humans, how far could've they gotten?" Beta confidently suggested.

Gamma barked in agreement before stopping and beginning to sniff the air. "Hey, Beta? Did the other dogs follow us?"

"Uh...not that I'm aware of. You know how the master likes to keep 'em...oh...how do I put this? Safe?" He paused and began sniffing the air, catching the same scent Gamma had caught only seconds before. "Wait a sec, why can I smell them?"

Both dogs turned their heads and watched as a dark portal materialized in front of them. Suspicious about what it could be, they lowered themselves and began snarling, preparing for anything threatening. It turned out to be nothing more than Aros and Kaguya, continuing their usual wild goose chase. Gamma straightened up and tilted is head to the side, as did Beta, curious about who these humans were, and why the heck they apparently smelled like the rest of the dogs they knew.

Upon arrival, Aros and Kaguya surveyed the area. It wasn't until Kaguya's eyes landed on Beta and Gamma that she broke her focus. Having not been around for very long, she had never seen a dog before in her life and wasn't sure what to make of the four-legged creatures that only watched with their own sense of curiosity. To her, they looked like Heartless...sort of. They didn't look like humans and with Heartless being the only nonhuman creatures she was familiar with, Kaguya assumed that anything that wasn't a human was a Heartless, but these couldn't be Heartless. They lacked the emblem on their chest. Kaguya slowly backed away, her uncertainty beginning to cloud her judgement of whether these dogs were a threat or an ally.

"Uh...what are those things?" Kaguya asked as she pointed out the dogs.

Aros chuckled. "Hey, they're dogs." He knelt down to their level. "Hey there, fellas, you guys lost, or something?"

"Nope! We're not lost!" Gamma answered.

"WHAA? Did that dog just talk?" Aros jumped back.

"Sorta. Ya see, our masters gave us these collars so we can speak with ya'll." Beta explained.

"Hey, how cool." He began playing around with the collar's settings, which messed around with the language and pitch of the voice that came out of it.

Kaguya inched forward. "I...guess they look friendly…"

"Yeah, sure they are. Here, pet him on the head." Aros took her hand and placed it on Gamma's head.

"Oh! That is nice! I like you!" Gamma began wagging his tail.

"He is pretty cute." Kaguya giggled.

Although she was unsure of them at first, Kaguya suddenly became intrigued with the dogs, especially after feeling out soft Gamma was. He even guided her with what were the best spots to pet a dog. Kaguya began to rub Gamma's sides, causing him to sigh and pant. Beta, feeling like he was missing out, ran up and shoved the bulldog out of the way. He sat and panted, waiting for Kaguya lightly scratch his neck, his personal favorite spot. Before either she or Aros knew it, both dogs were lying down on the ground and rolling about, eagerly awaiting their turn to receive affection from her. She finally laughed and began running her hand along Gamma's chunky belly, who only kicked his leg in response to the satisfaction.

Aros laughed and shook his head, typical dogs. Yet, there was something about this being Kaguya's first exposure to dogs that seemed rather...charming? Cute? She was like a little kid that was living in her own little world. Had Aros not known in the beginning, he never would've suspected they were supposed to be working together based on this interaction. He couldn't help but wonder if he could ever feel that way. Could he ever feel that childlike bliss of coming face to face with a dog and just wasting time giving it affection? A part of him wanted to, but why? What was the point? He had a mission to complete and that was all that mattered right?

"Y'know, you two seem like a couple 'o cool kids. What're your names?" Beta asked.

"I'm Aros and this is Kaguya. So, what are you guys doing all the way out here? You said you had a master?"

"Yep!" Gamma barked. "Our master has sent us out on a mission. We're looking for a bird. We found the tracks and got the scent."

"Well, we're kinda looking for someone too. Maybe we can help each other out?" Kaguya offered.

"Oh! That's a really good idea!" Beta looked off toward the distance and began barking. "Hey Alpha! Check it out! We got reinforcements!"

From within the shadows of the lush jungle, the third dog of the trio emerged. While Beta and Gamma had a sense of cuteness to them thanks to the rounder shapes of their bodies accompanying the big brown eyes and jowled smiles, this particular dog meant business. He was built like how a pack leader would be imagine. His ears remained pointed up like a set of devil hours while his snout was defined enough it could severely hurt any animal that tried to mess with him. His long lean body slowly made its way toward Beta and Gamma. He took his time on purpose, making his presence known. There was a reason he was called Alpha.

"Beta, Gamma, why would you want to drag along a couple of humans, of all things?" Alpha asked, his voice sounding like a squeaky chipmunk.

"Why does that scary dog sound weird?" Kaguya asked.

Aros shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, but it's kinda funny." He laughed.

"Hey Alpha," Beta intervened while trying to hold back laughter. "I think there's something wrong with your collar."

Gamma smiled widely and panted. "Yeah, your voice sounds really funny!" He and Beta broke down into laughter.

"Beta! Gamma! Mayhaps you desire to-squirrel!" All three dogs froze and pointed their faces in the same direction.

Kaguya scanned the area. "Why are they doing that? I don't see a squirrel."

"It's a dog thing." Aros explained.

"Mayhaps you desire to challenge the rankings that I have been assigned by my strength and cunning." Alpha threatened as he backed the other two dogs up.

"Hey, you leave those two alone!" Kaguya stepped forward and summoned her Keyblade."

Alpha whipped his head around and began snarling at her. "Just who do you humans think you are? This is a top secret mission that nobody is to-" He began to back Kaguya up only to stop and sniff her. "Wait a second, I know that scent."

"I knew I wasn't going crazy!" Beta smacked his bottom on the ground.

"You...why do you smell like a dog?" Alpha asked.

"Excuse me?" Kaguya asked with a frown on her face.

"The rest of the dogs! They all have this same scent! You both smell like them! Why do you smell like them if you're a human?"

Aros held his hands up and stepped between Kaguya and Alpha. "Listen, dog. I have no idea why we smell like dogs. I didn't even know there were dogs out here. We were just out here because we're looking for someone."

"Specifically, we're looking for a girl." She added in.

"Wait, a girl? You mean like the one we can smell with the bird?" Gamma asked.

"Whaaat?" Aros and Kaguya asked in unison.

Alpha growled. "Beta! Gamma! Give me a full report on your findings!"

Beta stood up straight and began circling the tracks. "We found the bird's scent, but there were also a bunch of others. Chocolate, prunes and dental cream, and then of course, there was a flowery-coconut scent."

"Flowers…" Kaguya muttered.

"Coconuts?" Aros asked. "Like a tropical island...that has to be Kairi."

"Oh wait!" Gamma intervened. "The pretty girl scent was super strong! It's like there were three of them or something!"

Kaguya gritted her teeth. "Three, that's definitely Kairi."

"Pfft! I wonder if Dug is ever gonna find that stupid bird on his 'very special mission'." Beta laughed in amusement.

"Do not mention Dug to me at this time. His fool's errand will keep him most occupied. Most occupied indeed. However, for all intents and purposes of finding this bird efficiently…" Alpha tapped on Beta's collar, causing a screen to pop up. "This is Alpha calling Dug. Come in, Dug. Have you seen the bird?"

"Hi, Alpha. Hey, your voice sounds funny." Dug whispered on the other line.

"I know! Answer the question!" Alpha growled.

"I have the bird! The bird is my prisoner now! I will bring him back to you and then you will like me. See?" Dug moved his collar allowing the rest of the dogs, as well as Kaguya and Aros, to see Keven in full.

Alpha growled and barked. "Impossible! Where are you?"

"Hey Dug, who are you talking to?" Russell asked as he looked into the screen.

Kairi also appeared on the screen. "Kind of a nifty little thing, huh?"

"Oh! Gotta go!" Dug said before quickly shutting off the collar.

"That's Kairi!" Aros pointed out.

"What's Dug doing?" Beta asked as all the dog began barking.

"And why is he with that small mailman?" Gamma barked.

Alpha tapped on the collar again. "Where are you, Dug?" A map of Paradise Falls popped on the screen and indicated Dug's locations. "There he is…"

"And Kairi's there too…" Kaguya pointed out.

"What do you know about that girl?"

Aros snickered as he leaned against a tree. "Well, my fine pooch, let's just say that she has a way of...oh, how do I put this? Getting in the way of things?"

"Uh oh, sounds like trouble…" Beta shared a concerned look with Gamma.

"Indeed, it does. In what way, would you say she would interfere with our mission, human?" Alpha asked as he sat down in front of Aros and stared him down.

"She's one of those 'I have to make friends with everyone I meet' kind of humans. If she's with the bird, then chances are, she's friends with the bird, and if she's friends with the bird-"

Alpha hopped on all fours and began snarling. "She will do everything in her power to keep us from getting the bird! Let me guess, this is the girl you're looking for?"

Aros and Kaguya both folded their arms and nodded. Alpha could only stare them down for a moment before he called a secret conference with Beta and Gamma. The three dogs discussed in a hushed manner to the point that it only sounded like muffled whispering to Aros and Kaguya, who only looked at each other with puzzled looks on their faces. Kaguya didn't know much about dogs, but Aros did and he couldn't help but wonder what could be so secretive that the dogs would have to discuss it in private. Then again, it was a popular theory that cats were evil and trying to take over the world, so he didn't question it.

"Okay, humans, you have me convinced. Just how do you exactly intend on getting rid of the girl and assisting with us catching the bird?" Alpha asked as he approached Aros and Kaguya.

Aros snickered as he began patting Alpha on the head. "You leave that to us."

* * *

**A/N: First off, I'm so sorry if that 'period' scene was TMI for ya'll! It was meant to be played for laughs and was suggested by my friend Kristen Verne! Go check out her fics!**


	26. True Colors

**A/N: Sorry for the wait! Thanks for your patience and here's the next chapter! ^.^**

* * *

Chapter 26: True Colors

Several miles of trekking through a tropical jungle should've been a great adventure for everyone, but instead, as the hours grew on, patience seemed to thin out. Carl was obviously getting tired, but was being stubborn about it because of him wanting to get to the falls as quickly as he could, which also meant that he could be finally be alone and not deal with the craziness. Kairi, Naminé, and Xion were all moody because of their bodies hating them at that particular time, and Dug's constant pestering of Kevin to become his prisoner was only making it worse.

"Dug! Please! Quit bugging Kevin." Kairi asked.

Kevin leaned in and squawked back at Dug, which only frustrated Russell and the girls more. Dug was an adorable pooch. They would never deny that, but like any other dog, he didn't seem to understand the basic concept of 'no'. Kairi and Xion ran over to try and pull Dug off of Kevin while Russell and Naminé tried to help Kevin out. All while the chaotic round of Tug-o-War was occurring, Carl was getting frustrated as he felt Russell's body weight pulling him back. He knew that that this rate, they weren't going to get to Paradise Falls on time before the balloons' helium leaked out.

Having enough of the nonsense, Carl yanked Russell by the hose, causing him to lose his balance and tumble backwards. The momentum from his fall was enough to pull the house past him and have it collide against the cliffside. The sound of a window shattering was enough to not only elicit a gasp from Carl, but to also get everyone to stop what they were doing and pay attention. Now with Carl's harsh scowl jabbing at them like a sharp knife, the girls scrambled up and straightened themselves out, as did Russell, Kevin, and Dug. It was almost as if Carl was an army general and he was straightening out his slackoff recruits.

"Alright! Everyone listen up! I'm NOBODY'S master!" Carl yelled as he pointed to Dug and Kevin. "I don't want you! I don't want you!" He pointed over towards Russell and the girls. "I'm stuck with you and as for you three, I hope whatever you're looking for is close by because I don't know how much longer I can take being stuck here with a bunch of crazy hormonal teenage girls!"

"We're not crazy!" Xion yelled back. "We're not the ones talking to a house!"

"That's none of your business!"

Kairi stepped forward, her eyebrows furrowed. "Besides that, the reason we're such hormonal messes is because our bodies are built and working to bring children to the world for you men! You of all people should know that!"

Carl's face loosened up as he took a few short breaths. His blood that was racing through his body as a result of his anger had suddenly began to slow down, as if it were starting to drain out completely. His eyes darted between Kairi and Xion's harsh stares, Naminé being the only one to show any sense of calmness in her face. Carl sighed and turned away, refusing to show any sign of vulnerability. He didn't need, nor want, any sympathy for whatever pain he was suddenly feeling. He only wanted what he had been yearning for since he first began his quest toward the falls, which was to be alone.

"Yeah, I _should _know that…" Carl muttered coldly. He sighed and began walking ahead. "Kairi, you and your friends should go now. We haven't had any problems with those bugs, so if you need to go, you can."

"Well…" Kairi checked her phone and saw that her seashell wasn't that much further from their current location. "We are pretty close to it. Maybe we should, girls?"

Xion nodded. "I'm okay with it. I'm over the humidity and need some air conditioning."

"Naminé?" Kairi asked.

Being caught in the middle of all the ruckus, Naminé's eyes darted between the two parties. On one hand, she knew how much of a hurry Kairi was to find the seashell pieces, but on the other hand, she felt off about leaving Carl and Russell, as well as the animals, all by themselves. Especially considering the strange daydreams she had been having off and on throughout the day, something inside was telling her that it was best for them to stick around. This was the last thing she ever wanted to do was be caught between two different sides. It was already tough enough on her watching Sora and Riku Replica fight over her in Castle Oblivion. If Kairi was leaving it up to her, Naminé decided to take advantage of the situation.

"Guys, there's been a lot of tension between everyone here." Naminé explained as she stepped in the middle of the group. "We're all tired and high on energy because of the animals, no offense."

"None taken." Dug said as he wagged his tail. Keven only squawked in response.

"So Kairi, I know you're in a hurry to find your seashell, but why don't we all set up camp here for the night and have a good night's rest before continuing on? Mr. Fredricksen, I think it would benefit you too."

Kairi sighed. She did want to just keep going, but knew that even with her determination, she had her limits. "You're probably right, Naminé. Maybe we should rest for the night. Russell could probably use the rest too."

"I am pretty tired. Can we stop, Mr Fredricksen?" Russell asked.

"Well...I guess I could use the rest too." Carl admitted. "Alright, start setting up camp, kids."

"Awesome!" Kairi clapped her hands together. "Russell, Xion, Naminé, let's get this campout going!"

"Oh boy! I love camping! I love lying outside with the birds and the stars! Camping is fun! I love camping!" Dug barked and ran around in circles.

"This is gonna be good!" Russell threw his stuff on the ground and began gathering tent materials. "I'll set up the tent!"

"I've got firewood!" Xion chimed in. "Here, come with me, Dug!" She called him over.

"Great! Naminé, you and I are gonna go gather some food!" Kairi waved her over towards the jungle.

With everyone separating, Kairi knew that if she was going to find food, she'd have to wander back into the jungle a little bit. It also seemed as if the world was answering to her thoughts because the trees just so happened to be bearing a number a fresh fruits that Kairi could just sink her teeth into if she and Naminé weren't trying to find food for _everyone_. Lucky for them, a small pool of water that was filled with edible-looking fish, was close by. As someone who lived off of cuisine that used a lot of fish, this was Kairi's specialty. Her stomach began to growl and she almost licked her lips at the sight of the innocent fish floating about, having no clue of the tragic fate that awaited them.

"Hmm...this looks like a good place to find some ingredients…" Kairi muttered as she grabbed a sharp stick and hopped into the pool of water. "Time to put my ancient islander fishing skills to good use."

Naminé reached for a mango in the tree. "How about squeezing these on top for a sweet flavor?"

"Yes! Good call, Naminé! Go ahead and grab some dragon fruit and papaya. Oh! Some jabuticaba! We can roast those!"

"Okay!" Naminé nodded as she began gathering the grape-like fruits from the tree."These are so cute!" She popped one into her mouth. "Mmm! They're delicious! I'm gonna grab a bunch of these!"

Thanks to Kairi's fishing skills, catching dinner for that night wasn't difficult at all. She honestly couldn't remember the last time she caught fish like this except for when she was helping Sora and Riku build the raft. The fact that she was still good at it shocked her, with the exception of one fish, who appeared to be absolutely stubborn about being caught and of course, he was the biggest one, the one that Kairi was intending on cooking for Mr. Fredricksen. She rammed the sharp stick towards the fish, but he swiftly swam out of the way. Kairi wasn't having it. She actually could've sworn she saw the fish snickering and sticking his tongue out at her. Either that, or she was just losing her mind, which she would not be surprised with at this point.

Deciding she had enough of this fish being a pain, Kairi threw the stick to the side and decided to dive right in. Naminé couldn't help but question why she would make such a big fuss over a stupid fish, but then again, Kairi was not in the mood. She was tired, moody, and hungry. With her bare hands, Kairi chased after the fish, keeping her head deep in the water to watch his every movement. With each grab, he weaseled his way out of her line of vision. It got to a point where Kairi stopped paying attention to her surroundings. This led to her accidentally smacking her head against a large boulder, and allowing the fish to escape, laughing in her face.

"Are you okay?" Naminé asked as she ran over to her.

"No...I think I'm done..." Kairi muttered as she rubbed her forehead, which she was sure would have a large bump on later. "Stupid fish…"

"We've got plenty, let's go join the others!"

With Kairi carrying all the fish and attempting to help Naminé carry the fruits, the two of them returned back to the campsite. Everyone made significant progress. Xion had gathered firewood, Dug and Kevin had finally settled down, Carl got the house parked, and Russell got the tent set up. Well, sort of. Actually, he didn't get the tent set up. Russell had been spending the entire time trying to set it up. Why didn't anyone help him? He probably didn't ask for help. At least Xion returned with enough firewood, and according to her, Dug was an excellent help in helping her gather it.

"Whoa! You two brought a lot of stuff!" Xion gasped as she kicked some firewood into the middle.

"Yep! And you got a lot of firewood! Here, let me help with that." Naminé said as she aimed her Keyblade and shot a fireball at the wood, causing a hefty campfire to form.

"Cool! That fire's huge!" Russell gasped before returning to the tent. "Come on...ugh! I don't get it!"

"Aw, you having trouble there with the tent?" Kairi asked. Russell sighed and nodded. "Here, I'll help you out." She jogged over to the collapsed tent and began to pick up the poles, sliding them into the proper slots. "I used to go camping on the beach all the time with my friends. Funny enough, I got better than Sora and Riku at setting up the tents."

Russell watched intently as Kairi worked her magic. "Oh...so that's how it works?"

"Yep! The more you do it, the more it becomes second nature."

"Tents are hard." He sighed as held his head low. "I've actually never built a tent before."

Carl looked over at Russell and Kairi with shock in his eyes. "What? Aren't you super wilderness guy? I mean you've been camping before, haven't you?"

"Never outside."

"Well, it's never too late to start, right?" Kairi asked as she finished the tent. "There! Perfect!"

"Wow, thanks Kairi. Could you do that again? I mean, can you show me again sometime, in case I forget?" Russell asked with a wide smile.

Kairi laughed and nodded. "Of course, kiddo!" She patted him on the back. "In fact, maybe one day, I'll take you camping on the beach on my island. It's a lot different than camping in the jungle or the forest, especially when the waves are going."

"And Xion and Naminé can come too?"

"That's right! Dug and Kevin too." She laughed and looked over at Carl. "Even Mr. Fredricksen can come too if he wants."

"Oh...eh, it's alright. I'm a little too old for that camping stuff." Carl sighed and shook his head. "But...thanks."

Kairi softly giggled before rubbing her hands together. "Now, that we have the tent up, it's time to get cooking!"

Russell allowed Kairi to borrow his knife so she could use it to cut pieces of food. She took a mango sliced it up before squeezing the juice on top of the fresh fish, which were then stuck to Kairi's special stick. She perched them right above the tips of the flames of the campfire where they could be rotisseried. Carl watched with amusement. He had never seen anyone Kairi's age cook creatively like this in the wilderness. He was perfectly fine with just figuring food out himself, but naturally, the girls were insistent that he should eat something hardy. With the fish being rotisseried, Naminé began slicing the rest of the fruit and passed it along for everyone. Despite the limitations of being stuck in the middle of the jungle, dinner proved to be a hit with everyone.

"Wow, this is really good, Kairi! I've never had fish with a fruit juice on it, except for maybe lemon or lime." Russell said with his mouth full.

"Thanks, Russell. It's kind of a specialty on my island. We make our food with a lot of different fruits. We make glazes for meats and a lot of fresh fruit with desserts."

Xion nodded as she stuffed her mouth with fish. "This girl can cook, but even better, she can _bake_. At my hometown, she made these insane chocolate mint souffles."

Carl sighed, actually smiling, and rubbed his belly. "Well, I gotta admit it, I'm impressed. You seem to know your stuff."

"Thanks, Mr. Fredricksen. Hey Russell, you ever roasted fruit before? My friends and I used to do this during our campouts." She asked as she roasted one of the jabuticabas.

"No. Actually, I use marshmallows." Russell paused, his smile fading. "Well, at least I would, if I actually went on a _real _camping trip."

"Well, why don't you ask your dad to take you camping sometime. Maybe he'll surprise you." Carl suggested.

"He's away a lot. I don't see him that much. And I call, but...Phyllis told me I bug him too much."

"Phyllis? You call your own mother by her first name?" Carl asked, a sense of surprise in his voice.

Russell shook his head. "Phyllis isn't my mom."

Everyone around the campfire grew quiet. Naminé and Xion didn't really understand the implications of what Russell had said, and who could blame them? They were still learning a lot about life. Naminé knew a lot thanks to being Kairi's Nobody, but there were still certain aspects of life she had yet to learn while Xion had the disadvantage of starting off as a puppet who knew next to nothing other than Keyblades, Heartless, and Kingdom Hearts, so she had even more to learn about life. Kairi knew exactly what Russell was implying, and she knew it was a subject to not press on unless he needed to talk about it. She didn't know what it was like considering her parents had been together she they adopted her and were still together, but she could only imagine how tough it must be and why he looked up to Carl and her.

"He did promise to come to my explorer ceremony and pin my Assisting the Elderly badge." Russell broke the silence.

Naminé smiled and nodded. "That sounds exciting. Maybe he'll take you camping to celebrate?"

"I guess." He paused, his eyes scanning the ground before looking up at the girls. "Kairi, Naminé, Xion, will you guys come to my explorer ceremony?"

"Of course! Count us in!" Kairi nodded as she curled a hand into a fist.

"Would...would you come, Mr Fredricksen?" Russell asked.

Carl looked down at Russell's hopeful eyes and sighed. "I'll...I'll see what I can do."

"Thank you, Mr. Fredricksen."

By the time everyone finished eating, everyone was exhausted. Dug and Kevin fell asleep during dinner. Russell crawled inside of his tent and passed out almost right away. Xion and Naminé borrowed some of Russell's extra blankets and curled up on top of them. Kairi kept herself warm by the fire, not able to sleep just yet. As physically exhausted as she was, something was keeping her awake, and she couldn't put her finger on it. Her eyes darted between Russell's tent, and Carl, who only simply stared into the fire. It reminded her of her grandmother, who would also simply stare ahead at something when she was in deep thought. When she asked, her grandma would say it was nothing and smile. This time, she was afraid to ask.

Kairi decided to grab her journal and update it with the day's events. It was an eventful one that she was looking forward to sharing. There was so much she wanted to write about. Kairi wanted to write about how Carl was miraculously able to float his house so far out from his hometown. She remembered them discovering Kevin and being so shocked when Dug spoke for the first time. It was an adventure, and it was one that Kairi could only wish Sora were there to experience for himself. As her pen scribbled along the pages, she found herself smiling with every little story she shared. It was almost as if she knew in her heart that Sora was listening to her thoughts and the stories she shared in her journal.

Carl, who sat across from Kairi, watched intently as she wrote, not even paying much attention to him. Despite his first impressions of her, he saw this softer and gentler side to her. In a way, Kairi's presence started to draw him. For a reason that neither he nor Kairi knew, Carl felt the need to talk to her. It was easy to say he was used to not really having anyone to talk to considering he lived alone, but that didn't mean he enjoyed it. He didn't even know why he was so hesitant to talk to Kairi. He knew she was a sweet girl. Carl sighed as he picked up his walker and walked across, taking a seat next to Kairi.

"Say Kairi, you gonna get some rest?" He asked.

"Maybe later. I just don't think I can sleep quite yet." Kairi answered as she continued to write.

"So, whatcha writing there? A journal?"

"Kinda, but they're more like letters." She said with a soft smile.

"Letters? And you just keep them in there?" Carl asked as he watched her write. She nodded in response to him. "Why don't you send the letters?"

Kairi stopped writing, her smile fading. "Well...I can't send them. Besides, it's just my way of talking to Sora. It's like even though he's not here, I feel like he's listening to me."

"Sora? I'm guessing that's the 'boyfriend' Russell was teasing you about?" Carl asked with a chuckle. Kairi nodded, unable to keep herself from blushing. "Well, why can't you send him the letters? Sure, we're in the middle of nowhere, but I'm sure there's a way."

"No Mr. Fredricksen, I just...I can't. He's not...he's not with us anymore…" Kairi said softly with her head low.

Carl's mouth hung open slightly as he watched Kairi lose the pinkish hue in her face, fading to a pale white. "Oh...I'm sorry…" He smiled weakly. "You know, you kinda remind me of someone I once knew growing up."

"I do?"

"Oh yeah, she was quite the adventurer. She loved animals, loved life, and she was also a redhead too."

Kairi laughed softly. "Wow, that does sound familiar."

"Yeah…"

"Mr. Fredricksen, I could be wrong, but it seems like you just want to be alone, and that's okay, but...the world, it's a dangerous place. Sometimes, all we have is the friendships we make, you know? I guess what I'm trying to say is, don't forget that you're never truly alone, because there's always someone out there who is looking out for you, and it's our job as friends to look out for each other. Please, don't ever forget that, okay?" She asked softly as she began to lie down by the fire.

"I won't, Kairi…"

"Cross your heart?"

Carl softly gasped as Kairi's soft words echoed through his ears. Almost as sudden as his reaction, she was sound asleep. He looked down and suddenly saw a different side to her. No longer did he see a typical teenage girl, but he saw a young woman who carried a big heart within her. It was almost comforting. Carl immediately felt convicted of his initial attitude toward her, Xion, and Naminé. He had even begun to feel guilty about not caring for Russell, a young child who obviously cared if he was willing to follow him this far out. Before returning to his spot, Carl took Kairi's blanket and pulled it further up, covering most of her body.

"Cross my heart." He whispered. Carl looked up at his floating house and rested his hand against his heart. "She...she looks a lot like you, Ellie."

As the late night hours passed, everyone seemed to sleep soundly despite being stuck on the hard ground. Everyone, except for Naminé. She lightly grunted and winced in her sleep, tossing and turning. The dreams she was having earlier were now hitting her, and this time, they were even harder. It was almost like a flood of scenes that just poured into her mind. They were of the same girl, but this time, a young man who resembled Carl were now appearing in these scenes every now and then, and there was never a set pattern of when he would appear. Sometimes, he would be lying on the grass watching the clouds with her, or she would be tying his tie for him, or they would be cleaning the house together.

Whatever was happening these scenes, Naminé felt nothing but great pain throughout her entire being. Her heart began racing as her stomach started to feel like someone had punched her. She finally decided she had enough of the dreams when she saw Carl and the girl, who she was starting to believe was Ellie, in a doctor's office. She was bawling and Carl was comforting her. It was the most painful one out of all of them. Naminé finally shot up, heavily breathing, tears flowing down her face, and being careful to not wake up Kairi or Xion. She didn't want either of them to worry about her, especially with everything else on Kairi's plate. She quickly wiped her tears, hoping to just go right back to sleep, but unfortunately for her, a certain someone with _really _good ears heard her and came over to offer some comfort.

"Hey Naminé, are you okay? You look pretty sad." Dug asked as he lay down beside her.

Naminé nodded, faking a smile. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Well...humans think dogs don't understand much, but we do know human emotions, and we don't want to make our masters happy when they're sad."

"Dug...you're a good boy. But...if I can tell you a secret, will you promise not to tell anyone?"

Dug stuck his tongue out and panted. "Your secret is safe with me!"

"Well...off and on today, and tonight, I keep having dreams about this girl. I think she might have a connection to Mr. Fredricksen."

"Oh...I see...I think."

Naminé shook her head. "It's more complicated than that. It's almost like...like I can see...I can see into the past. Does that sense?" She twiddled her hands. "Like, there are certain types of people that can see into a person's future, but I can see into their past instead, you know?"

"I...don't know." Dug whimpered and lowered his head.

"It's okay. You're a dog. You don't understand it." She chuckled.

Dug rested a paw on top of her hand. "This makes you sad, huh?"

"It's not that it makes _me _sad, but it kind of does. It's like...I'm experiencing these dreams from Mr. Fredricksen's point of view, or something. Before, I was only dreaming about this girl, but tonight, I saw a younger version of himself in the dream with the girl, and I felt...pain." Naminé breathed heavily as tears formed in her eyes. "That's why I woke up. I couldn't bear to feel it anymore. It was the same pain I felt when I found out that...someone important to me...gave up his life for me."

"Sounds like he was very loyal to you." Dug said warmly. "You see, dogs are man's best friend. We are loyal to our masters. So when our master is trouble, we are always-squirrel!" He jerked his head in a different direction for a split second. "We are always there to protect our master. It sounds like this dog was very loyal to you. Or was he a human?"

Naminé laughed and pet Dug on the head. "He was a human. He was just as human as anyone else. His heart and soul are just as human as his...original self."

"Original self?"

"Didn't I mention this was complicated?"

Dug wrapped a paw around his snout. "Yeah, a little bit."

"Sorry...I guess I'm just still missing him. Mr. Fredricksen must be missing that girl in the dreams too. It does make me wonder though...is that why I'm so attached to Riku? The real Riku?"

"Does this Riku guy like you?"

"Yeah, I know he cares about me. He promised to always keep me safe and protect me." Naminé smiled and nodded.

Dug began wagging his tail and panted. "Then, I think he loves you!"

"Whaaaaaat?" She asked loudly, immediately covering her mouth as she saw Xion stir in her sleep out of the corner of her eye.

"You see, when a dog is loyal to his master, it's because we love our master. We protect our masters because we love them. If this Riku guy is loyal and protects you, he must love you."

"That's...an awful lot to take in, but thanks, Dug." Naminé thanked him. "But remember, please don't tell anyone about this."

"Don't worry, Naminé, your secret is safe with me. Now, I think I'm ready for another doggy nap." He said with a large yawn as he stretched his body out.

"Yep, me too." She yawned before lying back down on the ground, resting her head on Dug's body, who proved to be an excellent pillow.

The sunrise would have normally been the perfect way for everyone to wake up, except a couple things kept the morning from being sweet. Sleeping on the hard ground was never a good time for anyone. Russell seemed to be the only one whose body wasn't sore or aching from it thanks to his tent. A loud bird call echoed from above and had the same effect on everyone as a rooster didn't help either. Everyone mumbled, groaned, and tried to fight the warm sunrise and bird call, but the lack of a soft bed, curtains, and pillows didn't help anyone's case. Carl was the first one up while everyone else followed suit shortly.

"Mmmm, eh...Morning, sweetheart." Carl mumbled towards the house. "That was an interesting way to wake up."

Kairi yawned and rubbed her heavy eyes awake. "What...is that?"

"It's definitely not a rooster." Xion said as she stretched.

"Hey guys, look at Kevin on the roof." Naminé pointed out.

Following the bird call, Kevin looked out in the direction and let out a long-range, low-pitched call. There appeared to be a few calls that were similar to his, but they were shorter, and a little higher in pitch, and they called back to Kevin.

"What is it doing?" Carl asked.

Dug began wagging his tail. "The bird is calling to her babies."

"Her babies!" Russell gasped, suddenly raising an eyebrow only seconds late. "Wait, Kevin's a girl?"

"Her house is over there in those twisty rocks. She has been gathering food for her babies and must get back to them." Dug explained.

"Oh...I guess this means Kevin's gotta go then, right?" Kairi asked as she watched Kevin nuzzle against Russell's face.

"Aww, well, we'll miss you, girl." Naminé said as she rubbed her in the side.

Kevin nuzzled Naminé and Kairi before moving over to Xion and tapping her on the top of the head. "I'm gonna miss ya!"

"Wait! We gotta protect Kevin! We gotta make sure she gets to her babies safe!" Russell began to chase after her.

"Sorry, Russell, we've lost enough time already." Carl sympathetically apologized. "We gotta go."

Kairi's eyes darted between the directed Kevin ran off towards and Russel, who had nothing more than the fact of a heartbroken child who just had a pet run away. She knew how much Kevin meant to him despite having only known her for one day, and the baby bird calls were only worrying her even more that something could happen to Kevin on her way back to her next. Kairi took out her phone and saw that the location of her seashell wasn't much farther from their current location. She looked out towards Kevin's nest and nodded affirmatively before shoving her phone back into her pouch.

"Hey, why don't you guys go ahead of me? I'll make sure Kevin gets to her babies safely." Kairi offered.

"But Kairi-" Naminé intervened.

"Naminé, you and Xion keep them safe. After I get Kevin home, I'm gonna find my seashell. It's not much farther from here, and then I'll catch up with you guys, okay?"

Xion exchanged a concerned look with Naminé before nodding affirmatively. "Okay, we're on it."

Kairi looked down at Russell with a hopeful smile. "Don't worry, Russell. Kevin will be safe, I promise."

"Okay…" Russell sighed.

Everyone said one final goodbye to Kevin before she began to follow closely with Kairi. The two of them wandered back into the jungle that separated the twisted rock formation from the rest of the area. Kairi couldn't help but watch Kevin as they walked. Birds were never really the type of animal to show much emotion, but she could tell it was bittersweet for Kevin. She had grown close with Russell and the girls so quickly and while she was thrilled to be getting back to her babies, it still hurt to say goodbye to her friends. Kairi smiled warmly and patted her on the side before pulling out a chocolate bar Russell gave to her. She opened it and began feeding Kevin little pieces while munching on it herself. Even a female bird knew that chocolate was a girl's best medicine.

"We'll be home soon, Kevin. Don't you worry." Kairi smiled as she rubbed Kevin in her side.

Kevin squawked back, only to freeze up at the sudden appearance of a dark portal. Kairi stopped in her tracks and immediately moved into a defensive stance, reading herself for whatever came for her. Emerging from the portal was none other than Aros, the last person she wanted to see.

"It's you! From the forest!" Kairi instinctively held her arm out in front of Kevin.

"How nice of you to remember me, sweetie." Aros jested as he folded his arms.

"I should smack you for even trying to sweet talk me like that, but you're not worth my time." She muttered with her teeth clenched. Kevin could only hiss at him.

"Whoa, hey, I'd watch what you're saying, especially considering I could've taken you down the last time we met. I just chose not to because, quite frankly, I feel sorry for you."

"What are you saying?"

Aros sighed as he grabbed a mango from the tree and began to spin it in his hands. "Think about it. Your heart is like a mango. It's so delicate, so sweet, I can see why the Heartless are always preying upon it. It's almost criminally delicious." He sneered as the mouth portion of his badger-inspired helmet faded away, revealing a sinister grin of pearly whites, including a couple of pointy fangs. He took a bite of the mango, allowing the sweet taste to swirl in his mouth. "Mmmm, delicious…" He hissed. "Yet, your heart is also easily…" Aros suddenly smashed the mango against the tree, shooting fruity pieces all around the ground. "Broken. You may wanna watch out. Make a wrong move, and your heart could be crushed easily, if not already."

Kairi growled as she summoned her Keyblade. "It'll take more than a few snappy comebacks to convince me otherwise."

"Ah, you might wanna put that key away. That is, if you value that bird's life, I mean."

"Kevin, run." She whispered. Kevin looked down at her before suddenly dashing in a different direction.

"Oh, I had a feeling you'd do that. Hence why I brought my own backup with me." Aros made a dark portal appear with Kaguya emerging from it.

Kairi gasped as she took a step back. "Another one?"

"I'm sure you two met already, isn't that right, Kaguya?"

Kaguya nodded as she summoned her Keyblade. "We have. This time, I won't be taken by surprise."

"You...you were the one from The Vanishing Isle...in the Organization XIII coat…Kaguya." Kairi muttered as she recognized the voice that came from the helmet.

Aros laughed as he clapped his hands together. "Okay great! You do remember! You remember both of us! That means you probably remember this…"

Kaguya suddenly lunged forward and swung her Keyblade towards Kairi, who managed to block her attack and hold her off.

"What...What is this?" Kairi grunted as she defended herself.

"Remember this Kairi...I'm dangerous." He summoned his own Keyblade and crept around behind Kairi, holding the tip of it against her back. "And with two of us, we're _twice_ as dangerous."

"I'm…" She breathed out, her voice shaking. "I'm not...I'm not afraid of you."

"If that's the case, then you'll cooperate with us." Kaguya hissed.

"Ah, good work, Kaguya." Aros chuckled in amusement. "Now, it's very important that we get you to our master, so how about you just drop that silly Keyblade and come see the master? I'm willing to hold my end of the deal. You'll get to see Sora."

Kairi grunted as she froze in place. For the first time in a good while, she felt completely trapped and cornered. It was true, Aros was dangerous, and if it was just him she was dealing with, she could just fight him off, but with Kaguya here to back him up, she was outnumbered. Kairi couldn't help but question their motivation and if she truly would be able to see Sora if she went with them. Whoever these two were, they seemed to know someone who knew of Sora's fate, and she did intend on doing what she could to save him.

Before Kairi could have anymore time to think about her situation, Kevin appeared behind Aros and ducked to his level before letting out a loud squawk right in his face. It was enough for Aros to back away from her, but he wasn't fast enough to react. Kevin yanked Aros' Keyblade out of his hand and immediately swallowed it whole.

"Hey! Stupid bird! That's my Keyblade!"

Aros cursed as he jumped and attempted to reach for his weapon. Kevin began to gag before throwing the Keyblade up and smacking Aros in the face with it. As he held his head that was now practically spinning thanks to the impact of his entire Keyblade smacking his head, Kevin squawked loudly before picking him up with her break and tossing him up and down, smacking him against various trees. With Aros now being attacked by Kevin, Kairi countered against Kaguya. The two of them clashed their Keyblades together a few times before Kairi managed to kick her low, causing her to lose her balance and fall right over.

"Run Kevin!" Kairi yelled. Obeying her orders, Kevin took off sprinting in a different direction once again.

"Eh...the dogs!"

Kaguya suddenly whistled. From out of the bushes, Alpha, Beta, and Gamma all leapt out and began to snarl at Kairi as they circled her. Kairi gasped as she watched the dogs closely. She was a big dog lover and had never found herself in a situation where an aggressive dog was on the verge of attacking her. Sticking to her instincts, Kairi held perfectly still, hoping that maybe the dogs would pick up on her scent and realize she wasn't a threat. Unfortunately, this wasn't the day where that was going to work.

"Where's the bird?" Alpha asked.

Kaguya grunted. "She let the bird go."

"Oh boy...boss ain't gonna be happy about that." Beta looked over at Gamma with worry in his eyes.

Gamma sighed and held his head low. "Now none of us are gonna get a treat…"

Alpha snarled and began to creep his way toward Kairi. "You really shouldn't have done that." He threatened.

"Eh…"

Deciding she didn't have much of a choice, Kairi decided to turn and run away. She didn't mind fighting off anything that threatened her, but her good heart meant she had limits. Dogs just happened to be that one limit.

"Kairi? Why are you running away from those dogs? You have a _Keyblade_." Chirithy asked as he popped onto her shoulder.

"Because I can't hit a dog! That's against my moral code!" Kairi argued.

Chirithy sighed before popping back into Kairi's hood. He didn't know Kairi very well, but could already tell that she was stubborn enough about sticking by her morals, so he didn't bother to argue with her. Kairi didn't even bother explaining to Chirithy. Her goal was to get out of the jungle and catch up with everyone. Lucky for her, everyone had begun taking it slow, so they didn't get that much farther on their continuing path to Paradise Falls.

"Guys! Run! Get out of here!" Kairi yelled.

Naminé ran over to her with Xion right behind her. "Kairi! What's wrong? What happened to Kevin? Are you okay?" She asked a million questions.

"I'm fine, but-"

Kairi was cut off by Alpha, Beta, and Gamma leaping from behind. Much like they did to her, the three dogs circled the entire group, growling and snarling. Xion was also a big dog lover like Kairi, but unlike her, was very tempted to take her Keyblade out and show them who was the master around here.

"You...you lied to us, Dug." Alpha growled.

"I swear! I had the bird! But the bird, she-"

"Enough excuses!"

Dug lowered his head and whimpered. "Uh...tomorrow! Tomorrow, I will have the bird! Come back tomorrow!"

"Why am I not surprised? You _would _be the one to leave the bird with a girl."

Kairi breathed heavily. "Whatever you want, dog, just leave everyone else out of it."

"I'm afraid you're a little late for that seeing as how you have led me to the rest of the bird's party. Now, the master will want to see all of you and will have many questions for you. Come!" Alpha ordered.

"We're not going with you! We're going to the falls!" Carl yelled.

"Yeah, just what makes you think we're gonna follow a bunch of dumb dogs?" Xion spat out. She gasped as Beta and Gamma snarled and barked at her from behind. "Okay! Okay! We'll go!'

It was an arrest neither of them thought were possible, a trio of dogs taking them prisoner? Was this what Dug was referring to when he asked about making Kevin a prisoner? If so, then why? What were these dogs' intentions with them? They were obviously desperate if Beta and Gamma were barking and snarling if they sense any sort of hesitation from either one of them.

As if that weren't weird enough, as the dogs led the group through a steep trench, Carl looked up and saw more dogs appear on top. The further they travelled, more dogs appeared out of nowhere and were guiding them, almost like a secret service group guiding their president. As Kairi observed them, she noticed there was something off about these dogs. They didn't look like normal dogs. They all had a bluish hue to their fur color, some of their bodily areas were beefed up, and their eyes all had a yellowish glow. Her suspicions were confirmed when she looked down at the chest of one of the dogs and noticed a Heartless emblem over it.

"Wha…? Heartless…?" Kairi muttered. "They're not attacking us. That's not possible."

Once everyone was out of the trench, Alpha led them towards a large cliff with a split down the middle. This had to have been a dead end, but why would the group be led to a dead end? What was the point in all this? Alpha stopped in front of the cliff and faced everyone before another group of dogs emerged from behind him. They snarled as they crept towards Carl, Russell, and the girls. The rest of the dogs joined the new group in circling the entire group. Kairi waved for Carl and Russell to hide behind her, Naminé, and Xion, having no clue whether these dogs were intending on attacking them or not.

"Kairi? I think now's the time to start attacking and stop acting like a bunch of chickens." Xion suggested.

"Maybe…"

Kairi reluctantly drew her Keyblade, as did the rest of the trio. As much as she didn't want to attack any of them considering they didn't seem like normal Heartless, she was also prepared to protect her friends at whatever cost. Each of them held intense eye contact and their hearts began racing faster the closer the dogs crept closer, almost to the point of them almost suffocating the entire group.

"Stay!"

At the sudden command, the dogs came to a stop, only adding onto Kairi's confusion. These Heartless...dogs...were obeying someone? Everyone looked ahead and saw a tall figure standing in the shadows formed from the split in the cliffside. Kairi was immediately suspicious of who this individual was and how he was controlling Heartless. Then again, she wanted to see who this person was before doing anything crazy. She looked over at Xion and Naminé and signaled for the three of them to dismiss their Keyblades.

"You came here in _that_?" The voice from the shadows asked. "You came in a house? A floating house?"

"Yeah…" Carl muttered an answer.

The voice from the shadows broke into laughter. "That's the darnedest thing I ever seen! You're not after my bird, are you? But if you needed to borrow a cup of sugar, I'd be happy to oblige!"

Everyone watched as the dogs broke down laughing and wagging their tails. "Uh...why are these Heartless laughing?" Naminé asked.

Kairi only shook her head. "I couldn't tell you…"

"Well, this is all a misunderstanding." An older gentleman that the voice belonged to emerged into the sunlight. "My dogs made a mistake."

Carl gasped as he stepped forward, his eyes widening and his jaw hanging open. "Wait. Are you Charles Muntz? The REAL Charles Muntz?"

"Adventure is out there!"

"Charles Muntz! I don't believe it! It's really him!" He hurried forward, pushing through the girls and dogs. "My name is Carl Fredricksen. My wife and I were your biggest fans when were growing up."

"Well, you are a man of good taste." Charles shook his hand. "And who are these fine kids? Your grandchildren?"

"Oh, uh...not exactly, but-"

"I'm Russell! These are my friends, Kairi, Naminé, and Xion."

Xion laughed and shrugged her shoulders. "What he said. We're just assisting Gramps here to the falls."

"Such charming young ladies and quite the adventurous lad. I would only expect the best from a man such as yourself, Carl." Charles chuckled. "Now, you guys all must be tired and hungry. Why don't you all come on in and we'll fix you up with a hearty meal."

"Thank you, come on, kids." Carl said as he had everyone follow Charles.

Kairi was the slowest one behind the group, carefully observing the Heartless that were acting suspiciously harmless around her. They were acting like actual dogs.

"Kairi, be careful, I'm not sure how I feel about this guy." Chirithy whispered from inside her hood.

"Same…" She whispered back. "Although I gotta admit, Carl nerding out over this guy is really adorable. I remember my grandmother would get super excited like that over little things like the first bloom of spring, or if she discovered a new recipe, or if I accomplished something. She had...such a lively spirit."

Chirithy rested his paw on her shoulder. "The same spirit that I see in you, and Sora sees it too."

Kairi giggled as she patted Chirithy on his head. In the moment she slowed down to talk to Chirithy, the rest of the group somehow got much farther ahead of her. She jogged ahead and into the large airship that was labelled "Spirit of Adventure". The outside was very deceiving, for inside, it was like stepping into a museum. There were displays of skeletons belonging to various rare creatures. Everyone was impressed, but Kairi especially couldn't believe it. Some of these creatures looked like they belonged in prehistoric times

"Wow! Look at all of this!" Carl gasped.

Xion laughed she looked up close at the skeletons. "Even the Twilight Town museum isn't this cool."

"Well, most of my collection is housed at the best museums, but I kept the best pieces for myself." Charles explained.

"Some of these animals, I can't even identify them, like that one." Naminé pointed out the one that looked similar to a rhinoceros, but had two horns on its forehead instead of one or two on its nose.

Charles chuckled as the group walked underneath the beast's skeleton. "Oh, yes, that Arisinoitherium. The beast charged while I was brushing my teeth. I used my shaving kit, of all things, to bring him down."

Kairi laughed. "Hey, that one looks like a giant tortoise. I had a turtle when I was little...until it got out of my house and ran over by a truck…"

"That's no ordinary reptile. That's a giant Somalian leopard tortoise!' Carl smiled widely and hurried closer to it.

"Oh, you recognize it! I'm impressed! I found it on a safari with Roosevelt. He and I fell into a habit of playing gin rummy in the evenings, and did he cheat! Oh, he was horrible." Charles told his story as a couple dogs served glasses of wine for him and Carl.

"Master," Alpha walked back into the room and sat before his master. "Dinner will be ready soon."

"Oh, broken translator. Here, let me fix that loose wire for you." He knelt down and fiddled with the collar briefly until it was working properly.

"Thank you, Master." Alpha thanked him in his deeper menacing voice.

"I'm impressed with what you've invented here, Mr. Muntz." Kairi complimented as she studied the collar.

Charles chuckled and patted Kairi on the back. "Well, my fine lady, there's something special about friendships, but nothing quite like a relationship between a man and his loyal dog, so I thought, why not take it a step further? In fact, you got a dog?"

"No, but I've always wanted one, and I'd love to have one when I'm older."

"Well, in that case, that's quite a nifty little device on your wrist, mind if I take a look at it?"

"Uh...sure. Be careful with it. It's a prototype and I'm actually testing it out for some friends of mine." She said with unease in her voice as she removed the gummiwatch and handed it to Charles.

"No worries! I'm only going to add an enhancement to it. May I?"

"Well...I guess an enhancement wouldn't hurt."

"Perfect. It'll take a little bit, so why don't you all go on and eat while I quickly fix this baby up?" Charles offered.

"Okay! I'm starving!" Russell agreed.

Carl nodded and laughed. "I'm right with you there!"

With Charles moving into a room further back to work on Kairi's watch, this led to Alpha guiding everyone to the dining room for dinner, a deliciously prepared filet mignon wrapped in bacon. Normally, Kairi would've questioned why they were being spoiled like this when they barely knew Charles, but considering everybody was starving, she didn't question it, and just dug in like the rest of them. It was definitely enough to satisfy and make up for the attempted meal the previous night. Even if everyone claimed they liked Kairi's dinner, she knew it was nothing compared to this meal.

"Wow...I haven't had a meal like this in so long…" Xion sighed as she leaned her head on table.

"Who would've thought a dog could cook?" Naminé asked as she sipped her drink.

"Naminé, I come from a town where we have a _rat _who can cook."

"Right…" She laughed sheepishly.

"There's something strange about these dogs though. Like, they're Heartless, but they're...not Heartless?" Kairi mentioned as she tapped her hand against the table.

Charles suddenly entered the dining room, holding up the watch. "And, she's done!" He walked over and slipped it back onto Kairi's wrist. "Here, why don't you try it out?" He took Gamma's collar off and had Kairi hold the watch up in front of him. "Gamma, speak!"

"Hey, you gonna finish that?" Gamma's voice came out from the watch.

"Whoa! What'd you do?" Kairi gasped.

"Simple, I took apart the watch and implemented the microchips I used for the translator collars. It only works on dogs for now, but who knows, with how technology works, maybe it might expand to the point where we can understand all animals."

"That'd be nice. Little Chef would be able to communicate with us at the bistro." Xion nodded in agreement.

Carl sighed as he looked around the room. "My Ellie would've loved this. It's because of you, she had this dream to come down and live by Paradise Falls."

"Well, I'm honored, and now, you've made it. It's nice to have guests, a real treat-"

"Treat! Treat! Treat!" A bunch dogs began barking and jumping around Charles.

"No! Down boys! Down!" Charles commanded. "Having guests is a _delight_. More often than not, I get thieves that try to steal what's rightfully mine. These are the same thieves that try to tell me that my theories are _wrong! _Impossible! But I _know _the truth!"

"Truth?" Carl muttered.

"Carl, have you heard of a phenomenon that our world is just one of many?"

"Well...yeah. There are...nine planets."

Charles shook his head, scowling. "No, I mean, there are _more _than that. Like...maybe even hundreds of different worlds out there, all making up this gargantuan universe!"

"I've heard of that!" Russell nodded and raised his hand. "Kairi here said she's from a different world!"

"Russell!" The girls scolded him in unison.

"Wait...you came from another world?" Charles asked, his eyes narrowing as he focused on Kairi's face.

Kairi sighed, her stomach starting to flutter from nerves. "Y-Yeah, I did. In fact, I'm technically from two other worlds. My original home was destroyed when I was just a girl, so ever since then, I was living in the current world I'm in now." She stood up from the table, an eyebrow raised. "But, I must ask, Mr. Muntz, how do you know about other worlds?"

A smile formed on Charles' face as he waved the group over. "Come, I'll show ya."

Charles directed the group to follow him back out into the main area of his airship, but specifically took them to a more secluded corner where there were two large opened the large doors into what looked like a secret laboratory. It looked like a typical mad scientist's laboratory with large machines, lab tables that were disorganized with paperwork and beakers, a skeleton that strongly resembled Kevin, and there was a pen full of puppies of various breeds.

There was also a table that displayed various all varied from different types of currency, to treasures, even weapons. Some of the items looked like they didn't even belong in this world. Kairi was blown away. She never realized that it was possible for others outside of her circle of friends to know about other worlds. Yet, here was this man, who apparently knew about other worlds even before she did. The real question was, how did he find out about them?

"Many years ago, long before either of you kids were even born, I received a visit from a strange young man. He had told me he came from another world. He was quite brilliant, always talking about how light and darkness must exist in a perfect balance. Oh, now _that _is a phenomenon. You're raised your whole life on 'doing the right thing', but here comes this young man who believes light and darkness can co-exist with each other. He even showed me a thing or two." Charles explained.

"Huh, what's all this?" Carl asked as he looked at the collectibles.

"Oh these! When others visit from outside worlds, they tend to...lose stuff sometimes. So, I simply hang onto it. I mean, look at it! Valuables of varying time periods and cultures! Some worlds are stuck in the past while others are already in the future! Some of these can't possibly be from this world! Like _this _for example!" Charles reached over and grabbed what looked like a piece of thalassa shell, and specifically, Kairi's lucky charm.

"Hey! That's my seashell!" Kairi intervened.

"Eh...pardon?"

"See?" She reached into her pocket and pulled out the lucky charm. "This is a lucky charm made up of seashells that are found exclusively on my island. I'm trying to reassemble it because it could help in saving someone precious to me."

"Oh, is that so? Well, my apologies." Charles said with false sympathy. "But you see, I can't just hand it back to you."

"What?"

"I mean, it's been months since I found it. Surely, if it meant that much to you, you would've found it quicker, wouldn't you agree?"

"Well...uh...I…" She stammered.

Charles simply smiled. "Exactly, so, you see? Seashells in this world don't come in colors like this one. This is only a piece of what I need to prove what that young man told me was true."

"Mr. Muntz, who was this man?" Kairi asked.

"Oh...what was his name...it's been so long…" Charles stammered as he pressed a hand to his head. "I think it was...Xehanort?"

"Xehanort?" All three girls asked in unison.

"Yes! That was his name. It's a shame I never got to see him again after he left. He's probably dead by now."

Xion laughed sheepishly. "You could say that."

"But the one thing Xehanort showed me, that I never forgot, was _this_."

With one look around, it looked like the machines were taking care of the pups, but also were mixing up the liquid formula and safely sealing it inside of test tubes. Kairi felt her body grow numb, she almost wanted to get out immediately. She felt an all-too familiar fear begin to overcome her. She started to think back to when she was experimented on and how terrified she was. Her immediate reaction was to get to the bottom of this and figure out what Charles was doing with this lab and the dogs, because it didn't take a genius to know these dogs were being experimented on.

"Oh my gosh...what is this?" Kairi asked, gasping.

Naminé walked around, gazing at the different machines. "There are dogs and some...fluid?"

"Just watch this." Charles pressed a button. "You see, dogs live only 12-15 years, until their hearts give out. But...if they don't have a heart, they can't die, right?" Everyone watched as a mechanical hand picked up a puppy and held it over an examination table. The other hand took the needle and injected it into the puppy's leg. Kairi and the girls watched in horror as the puppy suddenly started to mutate, its body changing color to a bluish hue and a Heartless emblem appearing over its chest. "Of course, these pups still have their brains, so they retain their thinking capabilities and their ability to connect with mankind, unlike those other Heartless who will just mindlessly feed off of people's hearts."

Xion frowned as she watched the puppy scurry about. "This all seems so...impossible."

"That, it does, but hear me out. When Xehanort first summoned a Heartless before my eyes, I couldn't believe it. A creature without a heart, life's most important organ. That was when I started to get experimental. With Xehanort's help, I extracted the dark matter that fed through what would normally be the bloodstream, but with there being no heart, there's no blood. Through some testing, I concocted a formula that would allow me to inject this serum into the bloodstream of dogs, and...well, you see the results. In fact, take a look at this guy." Charles snapped his fingers, calling over a bulldog, who was slugging over very slowly. He almost looked like a zombie.

"What's wrong with him? He looks scary." Russell asked as he hid behind Kairi.

"Oh, nothing. This guy's been going on for about 50 years now. He was my first successful experiment with the serum. His muscles are pretty tired, I'm sure from the old age, but one day, I'll come up with a solution that'll counter that." He sighed as he patted the dog on the head. "Just imagine, if this were to work on dogs, how would it work on mankind? Humans could live forever! Now, there's plenty of time to make our dreams come true, and more." He whispered while looking at Carl, whose face was white from the shock of Charles' reveal, and at the possibility of him finding a way to make humans live forever. "Once the world learns of my discovery, I'll finally get what I deserve, and I'll go where no explorer as ever gone before...beyond this world."

Kairi stepped forward, angered. "Mr. Muntz, this isn't right! All living things have their time! We're meant to live, and then we die when our time comes. Our bodies and minds aren't built to live forever. Besides, if humans live forever, and we keep producing future generations, that'll lead to an overpopulation problem. It'll get to a point where there won't be any room for anyone else! And then what are you gonna do? You can't try to keep people from dying like that."

Charles chuckled as he coldly stared Kairi down. "That's a lot of talk coming from someone who is trying to save someone precious to them, wouldn't you say?"

"Uh...mmm…"

"You know, Carl, you and this young lady here have some interesting stories. A spirited young girl, on a journey to save the boy she loves, even if it could cost her own life, and an old man taking his house to Paradise Falls." Charles said in a low menacing tone. "These are the best ones yet. I can't wait to hear how they end. All I'm missing, is my bird, the one thing I promised them." He hissed as he jerked his head toward the bird skeleton.

Kairi and Carl exchanged anxious looks with each other, before the corner of his eye peeked out the window of the lab. He happened to noticed Kevin perched right on top of the house. Xion and Naminé also happened to catch sight of her and softly gasped, hoping that Charles wouldn't notice her. Lucky for them, Charles was much older than Carl, which meant his eyesight probably wasn't as good, so they used this to their advantage to try and get out while they could.

"Well, I'd say we'd better get going. Thank you for your hospitality. Come on, kids." Carl said as he backed out of the lab, guiding Russell and the girls with him.

"Oh, you're not going anywhere." Charles cut in. "There's a storm coming in and it's not safe to be travelling in harsh weather conditions."

Naminé shook her head. "N-No thanks, we're good."

"Oh, you really must stay. I insist. We have so much more to talk about."

With Charles backing Carl up towards a wall, Russell and the girls all grew anxious trying to figure out how to get themselves out of the situation. It was obvious that Charles had darker intentions than either of them were prepared for. Kairi started mentally cursing herself for not listening to hers and Chirithy's inner gut about him. She reached behind her back, almost half tempted to summon her Keyblade. She didn't want to hurt him and didn't want to go against what she was taught, that the Keyblade is meant for slaying Heartless, not mankind, but what other choice did either of them have?

Much to everyone's surprise, Kevin let out a low call from outside, gathering attention from the entire room.

"Kevin?" Russell muttered her name.

Charles looked out and window and pressed his face towards it, getting a good glimpse at her. "There it is." He turned around and paced toward Carl and Russell with a cold stare at them. "So, you knew about the bird all along."

"I-I can explain!" Carl stammered as he and Russell backed away.

"I hope you have a better story than the one about your coming here in a floating house." Charles threatened. Much to their luck, the sound of items clanking against each other drew Charles' attention to behind him. It happened to come from the collectible table as Kairi was attempting to grab her seashell without him noticing. "You! Get away from there!"

"Xion! Naminé! Run!" Kairi whispered. They tried to argue with her, but she had none of it. She demanded that they go along with Carl and Russell, who took this opportunity to escape themselves.

Charles growled as he watched them run past him. "Get them!" He commanded his dogs, who began to chase after the group. "I'll take care of the girl."

Kairi reached forward and grabbed her seashell successfully. "Gotcha!" She grunted as she felt Charles grab her by her right hand and yank her arm behind her. Her heart raced and her stomach dropped as this encounter felt a little...too familiar. She started to think back to the Keyblade Graveyard and when Xemnas had grabbed her, separating her from Sora, Roxas, and Axel. She thought back to a time where she felt weak, hopeless, and in pain from the way Xemnas was pulling her.

"As for you, young lady, perhaps it's time I teach you a lesson on respecting your elders." Charles sneered as he held up his cane, ready to strike her.

"No!" She growled. "Not this time!"

Despite the pain from Charles practically twisting her arm, Kairi twisted back and kicked him in the stomach. He released his grip, allowing her to take off running after the others and leaving the old man stumbling back. Much to his misfortune, he accidentally knocked into a table and spilled large glass jars of the dark serum. Charles grunted as he watched the liquid stream across the floor and over towards the skeleton that looked identical to Kevin. He gasped as the bones absorbed the serum, causing the skeleton to form into a full creature, but with obvious signs that they weren't ordinary, but they were a Heartless of that once alive creature.

"Oh…" Charles relaxed as he saw the creature approach him, but in a peaceful manner, almost as if they were showing their loyalty to him. "Yes...this is it."

* * *

**A/N: Yes, I used the ingredients reference! Ha! Also, I literally cried while writing part of this chapter (take a guess which part lol), so yay for emotional rollercoasters lol**


	27. The Little Things

**A/N: Ugh! This chapter was left in progress for over a week! But I finally got around to finishing it!**

Chapter 27: The Little Things

"Run! Run!" Carl yelled.

With Charles Muntz now a threat to them, Carl and Russell scrambled to untie the house and escape. Xion and Naminé caught up with Kairi not far behind them. They stopped for a brief second and allowed her to catch up before attempting to completely escape. Unfortunately, the fact that dogs were rather smart was backfiring. Just as they were about to escape through the cliffiside's opening, a large group of dogs cut everyone off. Xion ordered everyone to turn around and run back the other way. With the weight of the house making it more difficult for Russell and Carl to run efficiently, another group of dogs, specifically led by Alpha, cut the group off after turning, leaving them surrounded.

"N-Now what?" Russell asked panicky.

"Uh...I think this might be a good time to use those keys of yours, ladies!" Carl suggested as everyone backed into each other.

Xion nodded before summoning her Keyblade. "Kairi? We don't have a choice. Whether they're real Heartless or not, we have to fight for our lives."

"I guess you're right…" She sighed before summoning her own Keyblade and crouching into her battle stance.

"The only problem is there's too many of them. We're outnumbered. We've never faced a mob this size, ever." Naminé mentioned as she frowned. She thought for a moment before getting an idea, an idea that gained more momentum as she saw Dug from the side, wagging his tail and barking.

"Master! Over here!" Dug yelled.

Naminé's eyes darted back and forth before gripping her Keyblade tightly and sticking it up. "Guys, hang onto me, tight!"

"Naminé…?" Kairi asked.

"I'm gonna try something, but I don't know how it's going to work! Trust me!"

Xion exchanged an affirmative nod with Kairi before the two of them held onto Naminé. "Russell! Mr. Fredricksen! You too! Grab on!"

Russell and Carl exchanged unsure looks with each other before deciding to listen to Xion and grabbed onto the girls. With everyone hanging on, Naminé inhaled deeply before spinning her Keyblade and shoving it down to the ground, front first. Kairi and Xion were both confused at first until they suddenly saw a sonic boom of air burst from right above the ground and fired towards the dogs. Each of them were tripped by their feet and shot up into the air before landing roughly on the ground. Naminé gasped as she realized that her plan had worked. Everyone else would've had the same reaction had they had time to react, but it was no time to waste if they wanted to get some good distance away from the dogs. Xion and Kairi grabbed Naminé by the arms and pulled her along with them, following Carl and Russell over to where Dug was, at what appeared to be an alternate way out.

Dug ordered for everyone to go without him despite Kairi's adamant refusal to not let him be left behind. Instead, he ran off, too fast for anyone to catch him, and leaving them no choice but to listen to him. Xion and Naminé agreed it wasn't the time to worry about Dug and that he'd be fine, especially with the dogs now getting up and ready to chase them down again. Kairi sighed before following the girls with Alpha and the rest of the pack on her tail. Naminé peeked back and cast Blizzard on the ground, creating a slippery surface and causing a large number of the dogs to slip and fall right on their faces.

"Ha! Time for you bad dogs to chill out a bit!" Naminé taunted them.

Xion groaned and roller her eyes. "Later with the ice puns!"

Kevin managed to catch up and slipped her head between both Carl and Russell's legs, allowing her to carry them on her back. While this did help with how much slower they were than the girls, it didn't help the house. The balloons skid across the top of the tunnel and caused a hefty number of them to pop on impact. While enough were spared, enough were destroyed that the house was lowered by quite a few feet. Carl gasped, his sight not leaving the house. Even Naminé was very concerned about the house and cast an Aero spell beneath it, hoping to give it a little extra airtime while they continued to escape the dogs.

Unfortunately, the house smacked against a large pillar and the impact caused Russell to fall off Kevin. He cried out in anguish, causing Kairi to turn around and look back, gasping out of fear for his safety as she saw the dogs approaching closer to him. She turned and sprinted back, just in time for her to fend off some closer dogs with a Thunder spell that managed to paralyze them briefly. Kairi had Russell hop on her back and she carried him piggyback with her Keyblade ready to smack any Heartless dogs that got in her way. Playtime was over and it was time for her to be serious now about protecting Russell.

"Don't worry, Kairi! I'll stop the dogs!" Dug called from above.

Kairi looked up at the sight of some rocks falling from above and onto some of the dogs' heads. She gasped as she saw Dug headbutting them down. She was anxious both for Dug's safety and for her own in the case that he accidentally aimed wrong and got her in the head, but he seemed to be pretty keen about aiming for the dogs. Kairi sidestepped, avoiding any rocks that may have fallen in her path and struck a Heartless bulldog that lunged toward her straight on. She gasped at the impact, still never forgetting that she was still a dog lover at heart and hated the idea of attacking these animals. At the same time, it wasn't worth losing her life or Russell's, especially considering who their master was, and his dark intentions.

"Dug!" Kairi yelped as she watched him hop down from the ledge.

"Go!" He barked as he stood his ground between her and the rest of the dogs, allowing her and Russell to gain some distance. "Stop, you dogs!"

Ignoring Dug's "threat", the dogs all parted around him, rushing past. All of them, except for Alpha, who had a personal vendetta against Dug. He snarled and crept towards the trembling golden retriever before clamping his jaws on the back of his neck and threw him over the edge. Dug yelped as he landed on a lower level that was a far distance away from everyone else. Nobody could even see where he had ended up, except for Xion.

"Dug!" Xion yelled from afar. She stopped and thought for a moment. "Okay...what would Sora do…?" She muttered. Xion shut her eyes briefly before an idea smacked her in the head. "I got it!" She ran over to the edge of the cliff and tossed her Keyblade towards Dug as if she were performing a Strike Raid. "Dug! Jump on!"

"Okay, I am jumping!" Dug responded as he focused on the key that was spiraling towards him. He jumped onto Xion's Keyblade, his arms wrapping around it to hold on for dear life. "I do not like heights or spinning. It makes me airsick."

Xion smiled confidently as Dug levitated his way towards her. The Keyblade slowed down, allowing him to jump down safely onto the ground. She retrieved her weapon before giving Dug a good pat on the head. With everyone together, well almost, it was time to go back to avoiding the dog pack. Kairi slightly struggled behind due to her carrying Russell on her back and attempting to thwart off any dogs that got in her way. Kevin was carrying Naminé and Carl, who was the only one holding his house down at this point.

They finally reached a crevice that left them no choice but to jump the tops of the pillars, like they were stepping stones in a lake. Thanks to Kevin being an excellent jumper, and Xion and Dug both being rather athletic, it was no problem, until the pillars started collapsing from the impact of their jumps. They managed to be fast enough to make it to the other side before they could fall down several hundred feet into the river below, with the exception of one dog clamping its jaw around Kevin and severing her leg, but the problem with this? It left Kairi and Russell trapped on the other side with nowhere to go. She gasped and looked back while Russell held onto her tighter at the sight of the dog pack that now had them backed as far to the edge as possible.

"Kairi? What do we do now?" Russell asked, his voice shaking.

Kairi gripped her Keyblade tightly. She was ready to accept at this point, one of two things had to happen. She would either have to fight off every single dog by herself, or she and Russell were going to have to jump and hope they survive.

"Any last words, pathetic human?" Alpha asked.

On the other side of things, Xion, Naminé, and Carl were all fearing for their safety. Naminé decided to think back to her magic spells, which seemed to be helping them out tremendously during the chase. She started to list through her spells that could potentially assist Kairi and Russell across the way. It had occurred to her, there was one spell that could form a solid surface beneath her, but the big question was would it last long enough for them to cross?

Naminé sighed and stepped closer to the edge of the cliff. She had no choice but to risk it.

"Kairi!" She yelled, grabbing Russell and Kairi's attention. "Use Water! Shoot it towards me! Make sure it's a long enough stream cross the crevice!" Kairi looked at her Keyblade in confusion before taking her advice and shooting a large stream of water that reached the other side. In return, Naminé took her Keyblade and cast Blizzard at the water stream, causing it to freeze up and form what looked like an ice bridge. "Hurry! Get across before it melts!"

"Got it!" Before leaving, Kairi turned and smirked at Alpha. "As for you, bad dog, I'd share my last words with you, but I'd hate to give you...the _cold _shoulder." She saluted him before jogging over the newly formed ice bridge.

Alpha growled and barked. "Get 'em!"

Just Naminé had predicted, the ice bridge grew soft rather quickly, but Kairi was thankfully fast enough that she was going to make it across. The same couldn't be said for the dogs. Between the warm weather softening the ice and the impact of their extra weight, the bridge began to shatter, starting from the beginning and working its way towards Kairi and Russell. The dogs all fell in a group, landing in the water below, and finally giving the group enough distance to finally not have to stress about being chased again.

As the last pieces of the bridge melted away, Kairi and Russell hopped onto the other side, meeting up with their friends safely. Kairi set Russell down before taking a seat on the ground to catch her breath. Naminé and Xion rushed over to her side to make sure she was okay.

"Is everyone here? Everyone alright?" Carl asked.

"Yep." Xion answered for the girls as each of them wiped their sweaty brows. "We're all good over here. How's Russell?"

Russell brushed off his pants. "I'm okay. Thanks for saving me, Kairi." Kairi smiled back at him before he looked over at Kevin, who whimpered and struggle to stand up. "Kevin?" He hurried over as she collapsed onto the ground. "Kevin! You're hurt!"

"Oh, the poor thing." Kairi walked over and knelt by Kevin's head. "It's okay, girl. We've got you. We won't let them hurt you." She soothed the whimpering bird.

Naminé watched as Russell bandaged Kevin's leg. "Good job, Russell."

The sounds of Kevin's chicks calling out to their mother echoed in the distance. She held her head up as much as she could to call back to them. Determined to get home, no matter the pain she was in, Kevin struggled to get back up on her feet and limped over, only to collapse with each step she tried to take.

"Whoa! Kevin, you're hurt!" Russell ran forward and comforted her.

Kairi sighed as she looked at the heartbroken bird with a heavy heart. "I can't imagine, because I've never been through it. I've been separated from friends, but my own kids?"

"Mr. Fredricksen, we have to help her. She's too wounded to make it to her home on her own." Xion softly said.

"Can we help her get home?" Russell asked.

"Xion's right." Naminé nodded. "What would Ellie do?"

Carl sighed softly before looking up at his house. Because of the chase, a lot of the balloons were lost, thus adding onto the worry of him not making it to Paradise Falls on time. As much as he would've preferred to just skip ahead to the falls, he knew in his heart that Ellie would do anything to help a sick or injured animal, especially if she was trying to reunite a family. Carl's eyes darted between the house and the kids, who he could've sworn all had sad puppy dog faces, hoping and wishing he would agree to help them escort Kevin home. It was here that Carl had rediscovered his softer side, the side that wanted to be the father and grandfather that he never had the chance to be.

"Alright, but we gotta hurry." He answered with with urgency in his voice, earning wide smiles from Russell, the girls, and even a tail wag from Dug.

/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Back at the Spirit of Adventure airship, Charles waited patiently for the return of his dogs with Kevin. Much to his relief, the dogs managed to return, despite their fall into the river. Much to his disappointment, they returned without a bird. Alpha, Beta, and Gamma all trotted back to their master with their heads low and their tails between their legs. They, like any smart dog, knew Charles was not going to be happy and that they were in for it. As they cowered in front of him, Charles towered over the dogs, demanding an explanation. The trio of top dogs each gave their own side of all that went down during the chase until they all came to the conclusion that Carl, Russell, and the girls had all gotten away, and with Kevin too.

"What do you mean you lost them?" Charles asked, his voice raised.

"It was Dug! Dug was the one who lost them, Master." Beta argued.

Gamma barked in agreement. "Yeah, Dug helped them escape!"

Charles groaned in disgust. "Great, just as I got a new reinforcement too."

"Reinforcement, Master?" Alpha asked.

Charles sighed before snapping his fingers. From behind the dogs, the Heartless that had formed from the bird's skeleton slowly stepped through, keeping straight composure. The dogs all parted at the size and serious nature this creature possessed. Its call was a lower pitch than Kevin's, and sounded more similar to a raptor's growl. Charles sneered as the Heartless, whom he affectionately named Greater Snipe, crept its way closer to him. He held out his hand to feel the dark feathered body. What he would give for the entire world to see what he created from years of searching and scientific experimentation.

"If we can track them down, they'll have no choice but to surrender the bird." Charles muttered as his eyes darted between his dogs and the Heartless.

"What about the girl and the seashell?" Alpha snarled.

"Forget the stupid seashell. For now, the bird is top priority. Now thanks to Dug, I-wait a minute, Dug!" He hurried over to the radar that tracked the dogs' locations and checked it. "Dug? This isn't possible! Why is his collar not appearing on here? Just great! They could be anywhere!"

"Is that a call for help?" A young man's voice echoed in the room.

"Stranger! Stranger! Stranger!" The dogs began barking

"Quiet!" Charles yelled, calming the dogs down. "Who's there? Show yourself!"

In front of Charles, a dark portal materialized. Alpha, Beta, and Gamma, all immediately hunched into a defensive position until they recognized the person that emerged from it. Greater Snipe didn't seem fazed by the darkness at all, which didn't surprise Charles at all, and neither were the Heartless dogs. Aros stepped out of the portal with Kaguya right beside him. Beta and Gamma immediately walked over to Kaguya and nudged their heads against her hands. She immediately began petting them, which only caused Aros to sigh and shake his head with amusement. Of course she would get distracted by dogs. Then again, he couldn't really blame her, but he had more important matters to focus on.

"Does the elderly man need some assisting?" Aros asked.

Charles growled, gritting his teeth. "This is none of your concern."

"Whoa, okay! Okay! Fair enough. It's just that, I couldn't help but overhear that you're looking for...a specific bird?"

Charles' face lightened up as he narrowed his eyes. "Keep talking."

"And there's a girl who was with the bird, right? Red hair? Pink dress?" Kaguya asked.

"Yes…? What are you getting that?" He stared down Kaguya.

"We think we might know where they're headed. The bird is female, and she has a nest of freshly hatched chicks over were those twisted rocks are." She explained.

"Of course, those kids are foolish. They'll never make it back." Charles muttered. "I've lost so many dogs…"

Aros whistled while tapping his foot. "Well, allow me to offer my elderly-assisting services…"

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

"You see anything?" Carl asked.

"No, my pack is not following us. Boy, they are dumb." Dug answered as he trotted back to the group. "Xion, good idea on smashing the tracker on my collar."

Xion scratched the back of her head. "Don't worry about it. I used to be a member of an evil organization who were very creepy with that kind of stuff."

"Evil?" Russell asked with unease in his voice.

"Well, not anymore. They're all gone now, and I'm with the good guys."

"Phew! That's good." He wiped his brow with relief.

Naminé laughed. "Well, come on, gang. Let's get this house going."

The sun had set on another crazy day in the wilderness while the moon rose on another peaceful evening. With Charles' dogs returning back to him, this gave the group more than enough time to get ahead, especially since they were now taking a detour from Paradise Falls. Having to travel towards Kevin's nest, Carl began pulling his house back into the jungle with Kairi rushing over to help. Xion and Dug were placed on guard duty in case any of the dogs catch them, they can fend them off and warn the others. Naminé helped Russell with pulling the house on his end, making for a rather quiet evening, much like the previous one.

"This is crazy." Carl muttered, breaking the silence.

"What is?" Kairi asked.

"I finally meet my childhood hero, and he's trying to kill us. What a joke!"

"Oh, yeah that is pretty crazy. I don't think I've ever had that happen to me." She thought for a moment. "Well, there was a time when Riku became really distant from me and Sora, and he did try to hurt Sora, many times, but he managed to bounce right back. It was like he became a completely different person, but in a good way. Now, he kinda reminds me of what he was like when we were little kids. Riku was very keen on protecting me from everything. Sora was too, but he was younger than Riku, so he kinda kept getting pushed out of the way by him, in a brotherly way. I loved them both evenly though."

"Even now?" Carl asked.

Kairi nodded. "I do, but in different ways. Because, I'm learning as I'm getting older and experiencing my life the way it is, that love is such a powerful emotion that it can be experienced in a lot of ways. When I started to get older, I thought I would have to choose between Sora and Riku, but now I realize, I don't have to. I can love Riku one way, and I can love Sora like...like…"

"Like a boyfriend?" Russell teased, the other girls giggling with him.

"Yeah." She softly smiled and blushed.

Xion sighed and shook her head. "You're lucky, Kairi. I don't know if I'll ever understand love the way you and Naminé do. I feel like I still have so much to learn."

"Well, you're not wrong. You're only like...what...15 or 16? Most people don't know a lot at that age. Heck, there's even people in their 20s who still don't know what they're doing." Carl shrugged his shoulders.

"Yeah, but...I just...I don't know how to process the idea of love. It's like, I care about my friends. They're like my family. Well...they basically are my family since I don't have an actual one."

Russell gasped softly. "What? Are you an orphan?"

Xion paused, stopping in her footsteps. "Not exactly...it's a long story, but technically, I've only been alive for a little more than a year now. So, there's a lot of complicated and adult stuff that I'm still trying to learn and process, and love is just...a really hard one. Like, how do you know if you love someone? And if you do, what kind of love is it? How do you know if it's romantic love? Or how do you know if it's family love? How can you tell? It just seems like a lot."

Naminé laughed softly. "Well, it's like Kairi said before, there's no rush to figure this out. You'll get there. I mean, look at how much you and I have both learned yesterday."

"Oh yeah, I don't think I'll ever need to have _that _talk again…" Xion shuddered.

"Naminé's right. Typically though, if it's love, you just...know. And depending on how your body reacts, that's how you know what type of love it is. Typically, with love between family or friends, you feel like they matter the most to you, and you're willing to do whatever it takes to keep them safe. When it's romantic though, that's when your body starts to react and it feels so overwhelming, scary, and exciting, all at the same time." Kairi said softly as she shut her eyes. "You start to ask 'what if' questions regarding the future. When they look at you, you almost want to look away immediately because you're afraid of whether they are or aren't thinking about you. Every day feels like an adventure. They make you feel like you can do anything, and that no matter what, you're never alone, because...they promise that they're always with you." Her voice lowered as her steps slowed down.

Carl, who had been listening to Kairi's spiel, started to feel tears forming in his eyes. He snuck a peek up at his house, giving him an excuse to hide his face away from the kids. The last thing he felt they needed was the one person who was practically their guardian at the moment showing any signs of weakness. Carl quickly wiped his tears, hoping that nobody noticed or would approach him later about it. Talking only made it harder for him, giving him all the more reason to keep his pain hidden. Besides, it wasn't like a bunch of teenagers and a child could truly understand what he was going through, or could they?

"I don't know. It all sounds kinda gross to me." Russell frowned and shook his head. "You okay, Kevin?" He asked her. Kevin whimpered and kept her head down. "Mr. Fredricksen? Since everyone's talking about love, can I ask you something?"

"Sure, kid."

"Do you think my dad loves me?" Russell asked bluntly.

Carl's eyebrows jumped up as the girls all looked at Russell, whose face was full of uncertainty. "Well...I mean, he should. He's supposed to. He's your dad."

"I know, but he never really says it. Well, he used to say it to me all the time. He used to say it to my mom all the time too. He used to come to all of my Sweat Lodge meetings. And afterwards, we'd go get ice cream at Fentons. I always get chocolate and he gets butter brickle."

Xion laughed with amusement. "Sounds like what my friends and I do on our days off. We always go get sea-salt ice cream and sit on the clock tower, watching the sunset. Even back when I was part of that evil organization, Roxas and Axel would bring me to the clock tower after our missions, and we'd do that exact thing. We'd eat ice cream and reflect on that day." She sighed and held her head low, her smile fading. "I miss them. I miss them with all my heart."

"We would sit on the curb outside, and I'd count all the blue cars and he counts all the red ones, and whoever gets the most...wins." Russell's voice lowered as he began staring at the ground. "I like that curb. That might sound boring, but I think the boring stuff is the stuff I remember the most."

Carl sighed as his eyes darted between all of the kids, who all appeared to have saddened looks on their faces. "Well kids, if there's one life lesson you can learn from me, it's this: cherish the little moments. It's the little things that make the biggest memories."

Naminé looked over at Russell and rested a hand on his back. "So, what happened?"

"Then, he suddenly stopped saying it to us, and then my mom said he was going to live in a different house, but he still loves me and would still call me all the time. Now, he never says it. He's also always with Phyllis all the time. He always says he's too busy to go to my meetings, and now, I usually just eat ice cream by myself. But my dad said he'd come to my ceremony, and then we can go get ice cream then." Russell said with some hope in his voice.

"Of course! We'll all go get ice cream together! I'll introduce you to sea-salt ice cream, and it'll change your life!" Xion suggested. "Right, Kairi?"

Kairi only stared at Russell for a moment, losing her train of thought as she started to put the pieces together of just how weak the connection between him and his father truly was. It started to make her realize how lucky she was that she had a family that loved her, even if she wasn't their own kid. Her father was the mayor of Destiny Islands, and her mother was a nurse at the hospital. They both worked a ton of hours, which meant Kairi having a lot of the afternoons and early evenings to herself and her friends if they hung out with her. Even with those laborious hours, they still managed to make time to make sure she was loved. Kairi sighed, wishing she could see her parents' faces and apologize to them for making them worry so much, especially since losing Sora.

"Kairi?" Russell asked, shaking her and snapping her out of her daze.

"Oh! Sorry! Y-Yeah, of course, we can all go get ice cream. We can all celebrate you getting promoted to Senior Wilderness Explorer. It'll be like a big family event." Kairi nodded with a soft smile.

"That would be cool, but you guys aren't my family. I don't have any brothers or sisters. It's just me, my mom, my dad, and...I guess Phyllis now too."

"Well, we may not be family by blood, but you don't have to be genetically related to be a family. A little secret that you don't know about me, Russell, is that I'm actually adopted."

Russell gasped. "You are?"

"I'm adopted too." Dug said with a bark.

Kairi nodded. "Yeah. You see, when I was little, I didn't have a mom or a dad. My grandma was the one who raised me." Carl's eyebrows rose as he began to listen in on Kairi's story. "Even though she was my grandma, she was like my mom. Well, when I was little, something terrible happened to our world, and we got separated. I ended up on the island that I live in now, and I was adopted by the mayor and his wife, who couldn't have children." Her smile faded as she slowly came to a stop. "As for my grandma...I don't know...what happened to her." She muttered softly. "She's just been gone...for so many years."

Carl stopped behind, watching Kairi as she allowed her friends to get ahead of her. His inner instincts told him to give her space and that bringing it up wasn't the best idea while another part of him wanted him to say something. He stepped forward, about to say something, until Kairi heavily sighed and just kept going. It wasn't much longer until the distant sounds of Kevin's babies calling grabbed the entire group's attention. Kevin called back to them, only for them to echo back, even louder than before. It was apparent that they were closer than ever, which only motivated everyone to move even faster.

"Oh! I see something up there! I think it's a nest!" Dug said as he pointed his nose in the direction of the chicks' call.

"It is! There's Kevin's babies!" Russell exclaimed as he pointed the twisted rocks out as well. He began to run, only to be snagged by the rope.

Carl laughed as he untied Russell. "Hold on, stand still. Okay, Kevin, go get 'em!" He said as he and Russell supported Kevin by her sides.

Kairi ran ahead and caught up with Dug. "This is amazing! Come on, Kevin! You're almost there!"

Kevin squawked as she broke free of Carl and Russell's grasp and began to limp her way over toward the calling babies.

"Look at that bird go!" Carl smiled widely.

"Go Kevin! Go!" Xion and Naminé cheered her on.

From a distance, Kairi could see the silhouettes of the three baby chicks that appeared to be bouncing up and down chirping. She laughed as she ran right beside Kevin and got closer to the babies. Her smile faded as she noticed the babies weren't just bouncing in one spot, but they were bouncing in a cage. Horrified by the sight, Kevin squawked and began shaking the cage desperately.

"Wait...what?" Kairi muttered. "Why are the babies…?" She gasped as the Greater Snipe emerged from the shadows and cornered the group. "No...who are they?"

A harsh light shone from above, grabbing the attention of everyone. The calm breeze suddenly intensified into a harsh wind as Charles' airship began descending closer to the ground. The loud sound of a net shooting down sent everyone instinctively ducking out of the way.

"Run, Kevin! Run!" Russell yelled. Kevin ran to the best of her ability before the net wrapped around her, preventing her from moving. "Oh no!"

Everyone began to run towards Kevin, Kairi summoned her Keyblade, ready to free the babies while Carl took Russell's knife, ready to try and cut the net. Kevin could only struggle and wail to her babies. Charles landed his airship and opened the entrance, revealing him and his pack of dogs trotting out into the open.

"Get away from my bird!" Charles yelled as he disembarked his airship.

"Muntz!" Carl growled.

Kairi clenched her jaw and stepped in front of everyone else. "How did you find us here?"

"Easy, just a little thing I'd like to call 'assisting the elderly'." He snickered in response as Aros and Kaguya emerged from a dark portal. "Good job, you two. They were right here on cue."

"Aros! Kaguya! Why?"

"It was a simple tradeoff." Kaguya responded as she approached Kairi with her Keyblade ready. "He gets the bird, and we get _you_."

"And if I refuse this trade?" Kairi spat back as she crouched into her battle position.

Charles chuckled. "Oh, not much of a cost, really."

Without hesitation, Charles smashed his lantern against Carl's house. The shattering of the glass set it up in flames, a truly horrible sight that sent everyone down a whirlwind path of shock and heartbreak in Carl's case. His jaw dropped as the bright flames began spreading through the base of the house and shook the house slightly. The significantly smaller group of balloons that supported the house rapidly popped one by one. As the house started to lose its air, Carl's eyes darted between Kevin and the house. It was either leave Kevin and the kids unattended and save his home or lose his home over a bird. As much as he wanted to keep Kevin safe, there was something that mattered more to him.

"No!" Carl yelled as he ran toward the house.

"Xion! Naminé! Protect Kevin and Russell! I gotta try to help put out the fire!" Kairi ordered as she chased after Carl.

Aros held out his Keyblade in front of Kairi. "I don't think so, Princess." He reached out and grabbed her arm tightly. "Let's go!"

"Hey! Get your hands off of her!" Xion yelled as she tackled Aros to the ground and began to fight him off with her bare hands.

"Get back!" Naminé yelled as the dogs approached her.

The dogs barked and snarled, backing Russell and Naminé back. She did the best she could to fight them back, but with her bring the only one against an entire group, it became too much for her to handle. A couple dogs tackled Naminé to the ground and held her down while the rest of them grabbed the neck that held Kevin captive and began dragging her towards the airship. Charles made sure to grab the cage of babies as well.

"No! Kevin! Let her go!" Russell began to run after her.

"Russell! You can't go! It's too dangerous!" Naminé held him back.

Aros finally knocked Xion off of him and summoned his Keyblade, ready to fight her himself. He was ready to get back at her with a vengeance after what went down over in Grandmother Willow's grotto before. Xion scrambled to her feet and charged toward Aros, blocking whatever attacks he wailed on her. Kairi swiftly turned behind and saw Kaguya coming after her. She rolled out of the way before summoning her Keyblade and striking Kaguya in the back, knocking her to the ground. As Kairi charged forward, ready to land another attack on her, Kaguya sprung back onto her feet from the ground and countered, knocking Kairi back against a rock. She held her chest as she felt the wind get knocked out of her.

Kaguya, with the Greater Snipe, cornered Kairi, who was struggling to catch her breath. She looked past them and saw Xion struggling to fight off Aros, who noticed that Kaguya had her cornered. He back flipped away from Xion before kicking her and tripping her off her feet, giving him a chance to catch up with Kaguya. Aros hurried over and and tightened the corner for Kairi. Her heart started racing as the claustrophobia from being cornered up and the overwhelming noise from Charles' airship taking off started to build up inside her. Xion was down rubbing her head that she had smacked down on the ground and Naminé was trying to get Russell someplace safe. It finally became too much for her. She just needed everything to calm down for a hot minute.

"STOP!" Kairi shouted as she held her hands up. Suddenly, it seemed like everything in the world except for her friends were completely still. It was almost as if time had completely stopped. In fact, time did completely stop. "What the heck just happened?" Kairi asked.

"I think you learned how to stop time temporarily." Xion breathed heavily.

Naminé waved everyone over. "If that's the case, we should go hide for now until they've all gone away!"

Although Kairi's spell was strong enough to stop time, they knew it wasn't strong enough that there would be an ample amount of time to escape. Kairi scrambled to her feet and hurried over to Xion and helped her up after a Cure spell to heal her injured head. The two of them hurried over to a hiding place that Naminé had found and had dragged Carl and Russell to after the Stop spell was cast. Even with them not having a ton of time to escape, it was just enough for them to hide before the spell wore off.

With time now moving normal again, Aros and Kaguya rubbed their heads. It had seemed that recovering from a time-stopping spell had some nauseous-like side effects. To them, they felt like they were spinning endlessly in a circle of time-stopping proportions and stopped, leaving them incredibly dizzy.

"Eh...whoa...what the…?" Aros mumbled as he looked around.

"Where is everyone?" Kaguya asked. "Kairi and her friends ran off somewhere."

"Of course they did...well, let's let these Heartless get back to their master. I'm sure Kairi's around somewhere. She couldn't have gotten far."

From behind the bushes, the girls watched as the Greater Snipe ran off into a dark portal that would take it back to Charles' airship. Aros and Kaguya on the other hand took off in another portal in search for Kairi and her friends. Thankfully, they were a far enough distance away that they couldn't be seen by them, thus leaving Aros and Kaguya assuming that they had gotten much farther away than they actually were.

"Good, they're gone." Xion sighed of relief.

Kairi nodded. "Yeah, but something tells me we're not out of the woods yet."

"They still took Kevin." Russell muttered in a low tone. "And her babies. We couldn't protect them."

Naminé smiled and rested a hand on his back. "Don't worry, we'll save Kevin and her babies. We'll figure something out, right you two?" Kairi and Xion both nodded confidently. She looked over at Carl, who was simply staring at his now partially charred house, and walked over to him, brushing her hand against the wood. "I'm sorry about your house, Mr. Fredricksen."

"Get away! Now! Get away from my house!" Carl spat out, causing Naminé to back away.

"Hey, cut it out, Gramps! She wasn't doing anything!" Xion yelled as she stepped in front and held her arm out in front of Naminé.

"You don't have to be so mean!" Kairi added on.

Carl sighed heavily, inhaling and exhaling deeply as the wrinkles on his face grew deeper and his jaw clenched harder. "I didn't ask for any of this!"

"Master, it's okay." Dug said as he paced closer towards Carl, his head held low.

"I am NOT YOUR MASTER! If you hadn't shown up, none of this would have happened! Bad dog! Bad dog!"

Dug lowered his head as his ears flopped down. Kairi stepped forward and began patting the back of his head before slowly making his way. Her immediate instinct was to go after Dug, considering his hunched over posture was more than enough to illustrate how truly upset he was at everything and how hurt he was from what Carl said to him. She called out his name, only for him to ignore her and went trotting off in the distance. Even though Dug was a normal dog with normal instincts, it didn't make her worry any less about his safety in the wild. Yet, Kairi also knew that chasing after Dug would only make the current situation worse and the last thing she wanted was a big fight between everyone.

"Now, whether you assist me or not, I'm going to Paradise Falls if it kills me!" Carl swore as he picked up the hose and began dragging his house ahead.

Kairi sighed before looking back at Russell, Xion, and Naminé. "Well, what should we do now?"

"I don't know." Xion answered with a shrug. "Are you okay, Naminé?"

"Yeah, I'm okay. As far as what we should do, I guess we should-"

"We should help Mr. Fredricksen…" Russell said in a saddened tone as he stepped forward. "We...promised we would…"

Although they were only a few miles away, the rest of the hike felt twice as long as the rest of the trip. It was especially quiet without Kevin and Dug to spice things up. Russell was in a sour mood for the entire trip and the girls couldn't blame him. Carl spent the rest of the trip getting ahead, pulling his house while the girls stuck around with Russell. They weren't in anymore of a mood to speak to Carl than he was. Naminé seemed the least angry than the rest of the girls thanks to her having a really good idea of what was causing his bitterness, yet it didn't change the fact that she was hurt by the way he lashed out at her.

The arrival to Paradise Falls should've been a joyous occasion. Despite it being Carl's goal, it was a team effort thanks to Russell helping hold down the house and thanks Kairi and her friends serving as guardians to protect them from Heartless. Yet, the party was just as silent when they arrived at the very spot. Carl parked his house on the cliff that overlooked the South American view. The mist from the waterfall tickled everyone's skin and cooled them off from the hot and humid day while the sound of water crashing down had a sense of peace, but not enough to thwart off any sort of awkward tension in the air, which there was plenty of.

"Finally made it." Carl sighed.

"Congratulations." Kairi said bitterly. He looked back and saw her scowling at him with her arms folded. "Just sign off on Russell's well-earned badge and we'll get out of your way, okay?"

"No." Russell said in a harsh tone. He took off his sash and threw it on the ground in front of Carl. "I don't want this anymore. I don't care about the stupid badge or the Wilderness Explorers. It was stupid anyway." He muttered before walking away.

"Russell…" Xion reached out for him before sighing helplessly.

Kairi watched Russell walk over and sit on a boulder all by himself. She groaned and turned back, facing Carl. "What's your problem? You see how upset he is? He spent all of this time trying to help you and this how you treat him?"

"Look, I never promised I was gonna like him, or any of you."

"It doesn't matter! He's a little kid with a big heart, which you seem to lack!"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Carl yelled back.

"It means you don't understand! You're a grumpy old man who doesn't even know how to love something or someone other than a stupid house!"

"I don't understand? You're just a kid! You don't know anything!"

Kairi sniffled as tears built up in her eyes. "You're wrong! I may not know everything, but I know about the heart and feelings, and you just broke that little boy's heart and crushed his feelings when all he ever did was look up to you and care about you! Why can't you see that?"

"Because no matter what anybody does, it won't bring my Ellie back!" Carl snapped. He began breathing heavily as his face relaxed and Kairi's jaw dropped. "Ellie is gone, and she's never coming back! Just like your little boyfriend! So just get over it and move on! Otherwise...you're gonna end up like me." He stormed into the house and slammed the door behind him.

Kairi gripped her Keyblade tightly before throwing it down on the ground while shouting. "He's wrong! I'm gonna save Sora!" Her Keyblade dismissed itself before she began walking past Xion and Naminé. "Come on, you two. Let's go."

"Wait, what about Russell? We can't just leave him here." Xion objected.

"We'll take him back to the ship and drop him off at home."

"And Kevin?" Naminé asked.

Kairi groaned and threw her hands up. "Forget the bird! Mr. Fredricksen's the one who gave Kevin away, let him handle his own problems for once!" She pulled out the seashell piece and showed it to the girls. "I got my seashell. We're done here. Let's go. We're already almost halfway there with six pieces. The sooner we save Sora, the sooner we can go back to our normal lives, okay?"

"Wait a second, Kairi." Chirithy said as he popped up from her hood. "I know you're angry, but Kevin shouldn't have to suffer for it. Same for Russell. Don't you think?"

"I…" Kairi sighed heavily and shoved her seashell back into pocket. "I guess you're right…"

"But first...you may wanna calm yourself down. It's better for the kid if you're not upset."

"Right..."

Xion watched as Kairi stepped away to give herself a moment to cool off. Her eyes darted between both of her angry friends before she went and sat next to Russell, who remained silent despite having support from his friends. With the amount of tension in the air, Naminé was debating whether to be honest with everyone about the visions she had been having during their time there. Another part of her doubted if anyone would even believe her. Sure, it was easy when she was Kairi's Nobody, and when it came to Sora's memories, but the idea of seeing visions from the past of anyone her heart made a connection with? How was that possible now and not then? Was it truly that or was it selective?

Kairi took some deep breaths and aired out her frustrations. She gave all credit to her parents for teaching her how to handle her anger considering she was the type of girl who never got angry with people when she was younger, but would build it up inside of her until she was like a volcano ready to explode and when she did, it was usually in private. After Destiny Islands' destruction, things changed a bit as she grew thicker skin and became tough enough to stick up for herself and her friends. Well...verbally. The kidnapping was a problem, but she at least tried to fight her way. Despite all that, Kairi still hardly showed anger to anyone who wasn't an enemy of hers, so when she did angry, it was big for her and needed a cool down period. Once she was finally cooled off, she went over and joined Xion and Russell.

"You gonna be okay, kiddo?" Xion asked.

Russell sighed. "No. Why is Mr. Fredricksen so mean? You girls are so nice."

"To be honest...I don't know. Some people are just...jerks." She answered.

Kairi nodded. "Xion's right. Some people are just mean-spirited and selfish. When that happens, we can't really do anything about it except take it and move on."

"Well, you, Xion, and Naminé, are all really nice. I hope you never change." Russell said with a warm smile. "Do you think maybe I can see other worlds one day too?"

"If you really want to, you can someday."

"Just grab yourself a big rocket ship and you're set." Xion laughed.

Russell hopped cheerfully. "Yeah! A big rocket ship, and I'll bring lots of chocolate!"

Kairi softly giggled. "So, how long would this journey of yours be?"

"I don't know. I guess however long it takes to see other worlds. I wanna see 'em all!"

Kairi gasped as she felt her heart stop for a few seconds. She was suddenly thrown back to the day before the island was destroyed, sitting on the beach with Sora, discussing their aspirations to go see Kairi's original home world as well as others. She hopped up from the rock she was sitting on with the hopes that she could keep her composure. The last thing she wanted was to have a breakdown in front of Russell. She felt like she had been so good about not letting her grief get the best of her and keeping a brave face on for him despite how much she was hurting inside still.

"Kairi? Are you okay?" Xion asked, her eyebrows furrowed with concern.

"Yeah, what's wrong?" Russell asked.

"N-Nothing...I just...needed some air."

Naminé, who was watching the whole time, finally decided now was a good time to say something, and if anyone would believe her, it was Kairi. "Xion, you stay here with Russell. Kairi, can I speak to you over here? It's about Mr. Fredricksen."

Kairi tilted her head before walking to a more secluded spot. "Sure, what's going on?"

"There's something you should know about me." She breathed heavily. "The last couple days, I've been having these weird thoughts lately. At first, they were about a girl, and then I saw a young man in these...flashbacks. This young man, he looked like Mr. Fredricksen, but younger. He was with this girl, all the time." She paused and brushed some hair behind her ear. "I guess what I'm trying to say it, I think I know why he is the way he is."

"Does it have something to do with that Ellie girl that he mentioned?" Kairi asked.

Naminé nodded. "I think so." She held her hands out. "Can I try something?" Kairi hesitantly gave Naminé her hands. "Close your eyes."

Kairi did as she was told, and all of a sudden, she felt a surge of energy pass from Naminé's hands and into her own body, slowly making its way into her head. She didn't realize this, but Naminé's body glowed a subtle blue color while her eyes lost their pupils, but also glowed in the same subtle blue. It was almost as if her spirit had left her body and she was now in a completely different dimension. Kairi grunted as she felt a tingling sensation from the energy passing. Once it had reached her head, the flow had calmed down and now, it was almost like she was watching a movie in her head.

It was a movie about Carl Fredricksen and his beloved Ellie.

They were happily married, had a beautiful ceremony, and moved into the same house that Kairi had been assisting Carl with carrying to Paradise Falls. It was a definite fixer upper, but once they got it all fixed up and painted, it was a house that even she wouldn't mind living in. It was a home that was a carousel of color. They were beyond happy in that house, full of childhood memories and plenty of space for the two of them, when they weren't out having adventures together. That was the keyword, adventure. What Kairi was witnessing was an adventure that Carl and Ellie had experienced together, their lives.

There were picnics on a hill overlooking a park where the young couple would lie on their backs and go cloud watching, trying to see who could find the most animals in the sky. They spent their careers working at a zoo. Ellie was a zookeeper while Carl had the simple task of selling balloons to the various park guests. It almost felt like a dream that Kairi wished she was a part of. It was a love she always dreamed about when she was younger. It almost made her desire for her and Sora to be together all the more intense. She wanted this life back. She wanted the days in the bright sun where the two of them could lie on the beach and listen to the waves with their hands interlocked while they watched the sunset.

Of course, with all great love stories, Carl and Ellie's came with tragedy. When it came time for them to start a family, Ellie didn't make it to the full term with her pregnancy, and in the end, she just couldn't have a baby. It was a tragedy that changed their lives, but one thing that didn't change, was how much Carl loved Ellie. It was a testament that no matter what, as long as she was with him, his life was complete. He didn't need fancy collectibles, kids, pets, or expensive vacations. Just the simple life in that colorful house with Ellie was enough. Even if one dream couldn't become a reality, it was time for them to have a new dream, a new dream that would end up with them visiting Paradise Falls, something that Ellie's always wanted to do since she was a child.

As time progressed, life's moments continued to happen. Despite how much they tried to save up, it was always one thing after another that kept them from achieving their dream adventure. Yet, nothing seemed to change. They couldn't control their circumstances, but they knew they were in it together and were determined to keep working toward their dream, but as they always say, time flew faster the older they grew. Days turned to weeks, weeks turned to months, and months eventually turned to years. The years went by, and before they knew it, Carl and Ellie had grown old, becoming the resident "grandma and grandpa" of the zoo. No matter how happy they were with life, Carl had made a promise that he would take Ellie to Paradise Falls as a child, and if there was one promise he was going to keep before they passed away, it was that.

One day, Carl went into town and purchased boarding passes for the two of them to South America. He decided to surprise her for their anniversary. He had the whole thing planned out, a picnic atop their hill, with wine and all, a beautiful sunset, and the adventure of a lifetime.

Yet, one particular lifetime seemed to becoming to an end.

It was the day of their anniversary, and Carl was leading Ellie up the hill for their picnic. All of a sudden, when everything seemed to be going well, he turned around and noticed Ellie was coughing. She wasn't just coughing, she was weezing. She finally collapsed onto the ground, fighting to stand back up. Carl, fearing for her life, ran down the hill and held her, trying to help her off the ground. As much as they both tried, Ellie's eyes grew heavy and she completely fainted. Feeling helpless, Carl started shouting for help, hoping some bystander would hear them and call 911.

Thanks to the help of the ambulance and paramedics, Carl was able to get Ellie to a hospital. While fairytales would tell you that Ellie would be okay with the kiss of her true love, this wasn't a fairytale, it was life. Ellie wasn't okay, and deep down, Carl knew it. She was sick, and she was suffering. The idea of her suffering killed him inside, but there was another sickening idea, the idea of living in a world without her. What would it be like? Ellie was his world. They shared everything together. They laughed at the good times, cried through tragedies, and got through the frustrating times. She was his home.

Carl walked into Ellie's hospital room the next morning and gazed at her as she lay down in her bed, looking at her adventure book. It was the same book that she showed to Carl when they were children, the one that brought them together. He walked in and stood by her bed, gazing into her blue-green eyes, filled with so much love and relief that her beloved was there. Ellie pushed her adventure book toward him before caressing his cheek until he finally cradled her tiny frail hand in his. Carl sighed and leaned in, kissing her on the forehead for what would be the last time.

He was the first person she saw every morning when they woke up, and here he was, the last person she would see in her lifetime.

Only a short few moments later, Ellie had passed away.

Kairi hadn't noticed, but after the memory montage had ended, she found herself in tears that stained her cheeks. All this time, Carl wasn't just a grumpy old man for the sake of being coldhearted. She understood his pain. Ellie had taken the light from his life, much like how Kairi felt like the light of her world was gone after Sora sacrificed himself for her. She fell to her knees and began softly sobbing. Her tears fell not just for Sora, but for Carl, for Ellie, for anyone she knew who had lost a loved one. Naminé had snapped back to reality and gasped, realizing the position her friend was in.

"Kairi? Are you okay?" She asked as she hugged her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have shown that to you."

Kairi nodded quickly. "No, I'm okay." She pulled out of the hug and wiped her tears. "I'm glad you showed me that. I feel like I was such an awful person to him."

"You weren't. You just didn't know. None of us knew. Well, at least I didn't know at first. I started putting the pieces together and then realized exactly what was going on."

"I just can't believe it. He held it in this whole time. How? When we first lost Sora, I could barely go a day without crying." Kairi asked as she stared down at her right hand, the one Sora had held before he vanished. "Even now, I still have moments of heartbreak where I just continue to wish and pray in vain that he would just come back."

"Look at it this way," Chirithy mentioned as he popped out. "Thanks to you and Sora, time was reversed, giving everyone a second chance to fight against Xehanort."

"Right, we were able to save all of our friends together."

"If that was possible, who's to say you can't believe in miracles? And as far as your pain goes, it only means you're still grieving for your loss, and it's okay." He said with warmth in his voice.

Kairi sighed and shook her head. "Even now? I shouldn't be over it and moving on with my life?"

"Everyone handles grief differently, Kairi. It also depends on who was the person lost. You lost the person most important to you. You won't be healed of something like that overnight." Chirithy sighed as he shook his head. "I...would know…"

Naminé tilted her head to the side, her eyebrows furrowing. "What do you mean, Chirithy?"

"Yeah, did you..._lose _someone?" Kairi asked, her voice softening.

"I want to tell you, but now's not a good time. It happened in the past, many years ago. But, it's better that you focus on your mission. The sooner you save Sora, the better."

"Gotcha, that's the plan." She nodded affirmatively. "But first, I feel like I should go talk to Mr. Fredricksen. I feel like...we might have more in common than we think, both me and Naminé."

"What?" Naminé asked as she brushed hair behind her ear.

Kairi stepped forward and rested a hand on Naminé's shoulder. "The Riku replica who sacrificed himself for you. Doesn't it still hurt?"

"Well...he'll always have a special place in my heart, and I still miss him, but...I feel like there's a light at the end of this tunnel." She rested a hand over her chest. "Because of him, I was given a chance to have a normal life with real friends and loved ones. I know that deep down...he would want me to live my life the best I can." Naminé smiled warmly. "And I want to, for him."

"Sora would want the same for me too, I'm sure."

"Let's just say he didn't sacrifice himself just for you to be sad and miserable all the time." Chirithy mentioned.

"Yeah…" Kairi smiled softly before looking towards the front door of Carl's house. "Thanks Naminé, Chirithy. I think I'll go talk to Mr. Fredricksen."

**A/N: Phew! Finally done! And yes, I did cry while writing this chapter. **


	28. The Greatest Adventure

**A/N: Boy, what a chaotic climax this was lol Hope ya'll enjoy it!**

Chapter 28: The Greatest Adventure

_**When I stepped into his house at that moment, I wasn't sure whether to feel scared or not. He was pretty angry with me before, but when I stepped inside, I only saw Mr. Fredricksen sitting in a chair, looking at a large book, with a face that was almost… peaceful. I can't really explain it, but I suddenly wasn't afraid anymore. It reminded me of when my grandma and I would have our talks. She had the same face. It was almost like I could sense her urging me to talk to him.**_

"Mr. Fredricksen?" Kairi asked softly.

"Huh? Oh, uh...come in, come in…" Carl stammered.

"Are you sure I'm not a bother?" She twiddled her hands as she stepped further into the house. Carl sighed and shook his head, keeping a sad look on his face. Kairi took a deep breath and walked over, standing next to him. "Your wife...you miss her."

Carl chuckled. "Was it that obvious? I thought I hid it pretty well."

"No, I just...I could...feel it." Kairi took a seat in the chair next to Carl's. "I get it. I miss Sora too."

Carl hid his face from Kairi, continuing the tradition of him not wanting to appear vulnerable in front of her. The book he was looking at, the one Ellie had shared with him during their childhood, was no longer empty. It was now filled with photos, postcards, and notes. The photos were anything from photos of Ellie by herself as a young woman to photos of the two of them just weeks before she passed away. Carl looked down at a photo of him and Ellie sitting on a hill, watching the sunset while holding hands. He sighed and brushed his hand against it, the last photo taken of them before Ellie passed.

Kairi watched as Carl simply gazed down at the book, not muttering a single word. Feeling her heart growing heavy, she took out her gummiphone and turned it on before tapping into her photo album. There it was, the last photo she and Sora took together, and the first one Kairi took on her phone. Much like Carl, she brushed her hand against phone's screen. She thought back to that day, the day before she lost him. Kairi thought back to when she decided she couldn't lie about her feelings anymore. She thought back to how everything felt different after sharing the paopu, but at the same time, Sora was still the same goofy lazy bum she grew up with and hadn't changed. Carl's eyes darted between Kairi and the book, keeping them fixated on her. He knew just from the look on her face that she shared the same pain that he did.

"What happened to him?" Carl asked.

_**I was shocked that when we finally talked, he was the one who asked me what happened to you first. I was half expecting to hear him just immediately open up about Ellie, but instead, Mr. Fredricksen sat there and listened while I told him our story. It was strange, but it seemed that the more I told people about what happened, the easier it got. Although that didn't change how much I ached behind every smile I shared with everyone on this whole journey.**_

Carl sighed, turning his face away. "I'm...sorry."

"You didn't know, but that's okay. I hid it for the same reason you did. I…didn't want to accept it. Especially since I was the reason he lost his life."

"I suppose that's the miracle of love." Carl smiled warmly. "You find one person that you want to spend the rest of your life with, and when they're gone, you suddenly feel empty inside, and you'd give anything to have them back, even your own life."

Kairi smiled and nodded. "Sora was special like that, and he still is, deep inside my heart. Just like Ellie is always in your heart."

"Yeah…"

"Mr. Fredricksen? Could you tell me about Ellie? I'd like to know more about her."

Carl smiled and patted the armrest for Kairi to sit on and look over into the open adventure book. "Ellie was a special girl. This was her adventure book. She had a dream that when she grew up, she was going on her own adventure to Paradise Falls." He explained as he flipped through the pages of Ellie when she was little. "She had quite the crazy hair, wasn't really kept, but it was cute."

Kairi laughed. "Sora's is all over the place!"

"We met when we were kids, and then…" Carl flipped open to the page that had their wedding photo on it. "We fell in love and were married. What a woman she grew into."

"She's beautiful, Carl."

"Yeah, you kinda remind me of her a little bit."

"I think I remember you mentioning that." Kairi softly giggled.

"Your sense of adventure, fearlessness, unconditional love for your friends, that sounds just like my Ellie." Carl said with affection.

Kairi smiled. "I can tell you really loved her."

"And you love this boy of yours?"

"I...I do, more than anything." She stood up from the armrest and looked out the window. "We met when we were little kids too. I was all alone and scared, but when I needed someone the most, he was always there, from the beginning. I feel like...no matter what, I can't get over it, the fact that he's gone, and it's my fault. It's like I refuse to accept it."

Carl sighed and looked at Kairi sympathetically. "You know, I never thought I could move on either. Ellie was all I had, so when she was gone, I had nobody. No family, no friends, nothing. They wanted to take away the last connection I had with Ellie, our home."

"That's why you brought your house here. I get it."

"I can still feel her presence here in this house." He ran his hand along the windowsill.

Kairi laughed softly. "Just like I can still feel Sora's presence inside my heart, everywhere I go."

"Y'know, as I stand here with you, talking about my Ellie and reminiscing all the good times we had, I've realized something. Our losses may have broken our hearts, and yet, I suddenly feel strong again. It's almost like she gives me the strength to keep going."

"The light in the darkness, that's who she is, Mr. Fredricksen. Everyone has a light deep within that always burns bright. Ellie is your light. Even when you feel like you're in the deepest of darkness, she'll be there to guide you back. As long as you keep your memories of her alive inside your heart, she'll always be there." Kairi softly gasped as she felt an overwhelming warmth race in her heart. "Just like...Sora will always be there." She whispered.

"He definitely will. Do you know why?" Carl asked.

"Why?"

"Because _you _are an exceptional young lady."

Kairi smiled as tears began to form in her eyes. "Thank you, Mr. Fredricksen, and...even though this whole adventure has been rocky, I was wrong to yell at you earlier. I can tell that you have a big heart that's just very broken."

Carl sighed while nodding. "Yes. It's been broken for a very long time, but it will heal, just like yours will."

"You're right. My heart will heal. I will keep moving forward, because at the end of the day, I still have my whole life ahead of me."

"Indeed, you do, and now, it's time for me to have a new adventure." Carl looked up at the photo of his wife and crossed his chest with his finger. "That is my promise."

_**Even with all of his pain, Mr. Fredricksen managed to find the strength to keep going. He continued to miss Ellie with all his heart, but knew that there was a light at the end of the tunnel as long as he kept her in his heart. I finally decided I wanted to do the same. You were always going to remain precious to me, stay close in my heart, and I would always think of your smile when I was feeling sad. I gave you the strength to keep going in the hardest times and this time, your light is giving me strength. That is a promise that I will keep. I will not back down, no matter how hard everything seems. **_

The sound of the door flying open and slamming against the wall interrupted Kairi and Carl's quiet moment. They looked around and saw Naminé and Xion both running into the house, both with panicked looks on their faces.

"Kairi! Mr. Fredricksen!" Naminé yelled.

"Guys? What's going on?" 

"It's...Russell...he's going after Kevin and the babies!" Xion explained while catching her breath.

"WHAT?" Both of them asked.

Without thinking twice, everyone hurried out of the house, hoping that Xion and Naminé were just playing a prank set up by Russell. Much to their dismay, it looked like Russell was actually gone. Immediately fearing for his life, Kairi began calling out his name, as if she were a mother calling out for her child's name.

"Russell!" Kairi yelled.

Carl also joined in calling out for him. "Russell? Russell where are ya?" He looked up with the rest of the girls and saw Russell floating away with a batch of balloons. "Russell! What are you doing?"

"I'm going to save Kevin! Even if I do it by myself!" Russell answered with determination. He took the leaf blower and began blasting himself back in the direction of Charles' airship.

"Russell! Come back!" Xion called out as she ran forward.

Naminé reached forward and grabbed her friend. "Running after him won't do anything!"

"Come on, we have to get the house going!" Carl demanded.

Kairi and the girls hurried over to the house and immediately joined in helping Carl with trying to push the house, hoping that a push would be enough for the balloons to pick up the rest of the slack. As hard as they tried, the house wouldn't budge an inch. Kairi had gotten used to the house being up off the ground that she had forgotten that houses actually weigh a ton and was now even more amazed that Carl was able to successfully get his house floating initially. Naminé was pressing her whole body weight and so was Xion, or rather, whatever body weight the girls had considering how light they were to begin with. Unfortunately, not even the strength of three teenagers and a fully grown man were enough to get the house moving.

"It's no use…" Kairi huffed as she wiped her brow.

"Even with all four of us, we're not strong enough to get the house off the ground!" Naminé breathed heavily.

Xion leaned against the house. "We don't have enough balloons. If only the house weighed less…"

Carl, taking Xion's comment into account, stared into the house and suddenly got what could only be a crazy idea. "Girls! That's it!"

"What's it?" They asked in unison.

"We need to go into the house and get rid of everything." 

"Wait...everything?" Xion asked, her eyes widened.

"The furniture?" Naminé asked.

Carl nodded. "Everything!" He looked over at Kairi with a soft expression. "It's time to let go, but I can't do it without you."

Kairi smiled confidently and nodded. "You're right. Come on, girls!

One by one, Carl's belongings were tossed out of the house. Everything, from the smallest book to the largest piece of furniture, was ordered out. There were numerous items that the girls questioned on whether they should get rid of it or not, but Carl was insistent on everything being thrown out. Kairi smiled confidently when she realized that he had a change of heart and now it seemed that Russell and Kevin's safety had now become more important to him than whatever remained inside of his house. She gasped as she could feel the house getting lighter from below her feed as she helped Carl move some furniture. It looked like Xion's plan was going to work after all.

Xion stepped off the house briefly to help finish pulling the last piece of furniture. It to have been the heaviest piece because following its disembark, the house began floating up. She hurried and ran after the house, jumping up to grab the edge of the porch. Kairi and Naminé helped her up before the three of them ran back into the house. Carl was already at his post, ready to steer the house in the direction of Charles' ship...wherever that was at the moment. In the meantime, everyone was just relieved that they were able to get the house off the ground. The more air the house got, the higher everyone's adrenaline got.

"Whoa! It worked!" Xion yelled.

Carl hollered before patting her on the back. "You are a genius!"

"Really?" 

Naminé nodded and giggled. "Great job, Xion!"

"Yeah! Now, let's steer this bad boy and go save Russell and Kevin!" Kairi said as she ran over to the window. "Full speed ahead Captain Fredricksen!"

"You got it, Commander!" Carl nodded as he grabbed the ropes to begin steering. The thrilling excursion was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Huh? Russell?"

"Wait, Mr. Fredricksen…" Kairi stepped in front and held her arm out in front of him. "It could be Aros and Kaguya. Let me go first." She summoned her Keyblade before cautiously approaching the door. She opened it to a familiar face, but unlike Aros and Kaguya, a face everyone was happy to see. "Dug?"

"You came back?" Carl asked as he approached the door.

Dug lowered his head and whimpered. "I was hiding under the porch because I love you. Can I stay?"

"Aww, can he stay, Mr. Fredricksen?" Xion asked.

"Yeah, can he?" Naminé nodded with anticipation.

Carl smiled widely before resting his hands on Dug's sides. "Well, you're my dog, aren't you? And I'm your master!"

"You're my master?" Dug barked as he wagged his tail and jumped onto Carl. "Oh boy! Oh boy!"

"You're a good boy, Dug!"

Kairi laughed and began scratching Dug's back. "You sure are! But we don't have much time for playing, we gotta save Russell and Kevin."

"Oh, I wish I could help, but Xion destroyed my tracker to protect us from my pack, so we can't track them down with my collar…" Dug sighed.

Xion groaned as she rubbed her forehead. "The one time we need it…" 

Naminé thought for a moment before thinking back to their time on the airship. "Wait a sec. Kairi, didn't Charles install the same technology that the collars have into your watch?"

"Yeah, he did." She answered staring down at the watch.

"So, if the collar can translate the dogs, then it should also be able to-"

"Track the pack's location!" Everyone said in unison.

Kairi laughed as she began pulling up the translator on her watch. "That's genius!" On the translator app, she tapped an icon that pulled up a map with a red blinking dot indicating the location of Charles' airship. "There it is! I betcha Mr. Muntz never thought I'd be using his own technology against him, huh?"

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Farther in the distance, Russell managed to float his way to Charles' airship thanks to the leaf blower. Although the windows were shut, it was going to take more than that to stop him. He aimed the leaf blower away, allowing him to slam against the windows a couple times before it finally flipped open. Russell collapsed inside the ship and cut the balloons that were attached to the back of his shirt. The sounds of baby chicks chirping echoed through the room and caught his attention. Russell knew right away he was in the right place as he scanned the room until he noticed the cage filled with Kevin's babies.

"Kevin's babies!" Russell rushed forward and grabbed the cage. "Don't worry, I'll save-" He was cut off by the sounds of dogs growling behind him.

Russell backed away as he clutched the cage tight. It didn't take long for him to be surrounded by Alpha, Beta, Gamma, and a few other dogs. His breathing became heavy as he noticed one dog approaching him with rope in his mouth and another one dragging a chair. There was no chance to escape as Beta and Gamma lunged forward and grabbed Russell by the fabric of his shirt. Alpha yanked the cage out of his hands as one dog knocked him into the chair and had another wrap the rope around. Russell didn't even have time to question how these dogs were able to this. He became desperate trying to escape.

Charles, having received an alert from his pack that there was an intruder, immediately retreated to the room where Russell was held hostage. As he entered the room, his eyes narrowed as he recognized the same boy that had visited his airship only the day before with Carl and the girls. He approached Russell, deciding to try and take advantage of the situation.

"Where are your friends?" Charles growled.

"I'm not telling you!"

"Hmph, well if you're here, Fredricksen can't be far behind…" He hissed. "Where are those armored teenagers when I need 'em?"

"Oh? Is that a call for help?" Aros' voice echoed in the room.

Kaguya entered through a dark portal alongside Aros. "What do you need from us?" She asked.

"Carl and that girl you're after are most likely on their way." Charles answered as he glared harshly toward Russell.

"Where are you keeping Kevin?" Russell yelled.

Aros scoffed. "Why are you so worried about a dumb bird when you should be worrying more about that girl you look up to much?"

"W-What are you gonna do to Kairi?" He asked, his voice shaking.

"You know what? Don't you worry about her. You're more focused on that bird anyway."

"Alpha!" Charles called the doberman as he stared out the window, catching sight of Carl's house floating right towards his airship. "They're here! Guard the bird!"

"Yes, Master." Alpha answered as he sprinted out with Beta and Gamma behind him.

Kaguya grabbed the back of the chair and pulled it toward her. "As for the kid, we can use him as bait. Kairi won't think twice about saving him."

"Good call…" Charles muttered.

Charles moved Russell to a particular point in the room before leaving him completely alone and confused. It wasn't until the floor below started to open at an angle that Russell figured out that he was on the edge of the loading ramp. The further it opened, the more he started to slowly slide down into what would be nothing but pure sky. Not able to think straight, Russell started struggling in a panic and shouting for help hoping that anybody who would miraculously be in the sky could hear him.

Carl's house was not far behind the airship. Now that they were close, Kairi drew her Keyblade, ready for anything that could possibly get in their way. As it turned out, things _could _get in their way, Heartless specifically. Aeroplane Heartless began to materialize around the airship and began charging for the house. Kairi growled as she aimed her Keyblade and began shooting Fire spells at them. Naminé summoned her own Keyblade and did the same while Xion kept a lookout for Carl. Russell's screams drew Xion's attention and she caught sight of him and his desperate situation immediately.

"Look! It's Russell!" Xion pointed out.

"Oh my gosh! He's coming down fast!" Kairi yelled as she ran for the front door while Carl steered closer.

Carl clenched his jaw before tapping Naminé. "Here, you pilot this thing while I go help her!" 

"Wha…?" Naminé choked out as she took the ropes.

Kairi ran out onto the front porch with Carl right behind her. The two of them stole a glance at the hose before affirming the same plan with each other. With the house being within a decent distance, Carl grabbed the rope and slung it over to the other side of the ramp, giving Kairi a chance to zipline her way over with her Keyblade and Carl a chance to do it with his cane. Their timing couldn't have been more impeccable, for just as they reached the other side, Russel began to tip off the edge of the ramp, saved in the knick of time by Kairi and Carl.

"Kairi! Mr. Fredricksen! You came back for Kevin!" Russell exclaimed.

"See? I told you we'd have your back!" Kairi nodded as she curled her hand into a fist.

Carl nodded with a smile. "Okay Xion! Bring her over!" She began cranking the hose until the house was within a safe jumping distance for the three of them. "Okay, I need you to stay here with the girls while I go get Kevin." He said as he took Russell's chair and seated him inside the house.

"But I wanna help!" Russell argued.

"I don't want your help, I want you safe!"

Kairi shook her head with eyes narrowed with determination. "I'm coming with you. Naminé and Xion can look after Russell and fly the house."

Carl groaned shook his head. "Kairi, you'd be safer if you stayed with your friends. If anything happens to you, you can't save that boy of yours."

"And if anything happens to you, you can't keep your promise to Ellie." She argued back, leaving him speechless. "Please, let me help you. If not to help you save Kevin, at least let me protect you from Aros and Kaguya. They're dangerous."

"Promise…" He muttered to himself, still hesitant to agree, but decided he didn't have much choice. "Okay, let's go get 'em!"

Kairi smiled and nodded. "Come on, Dug! You know this ship better than any of us and how to get around those dogs!"

"Oh boy! Rescue mission! I'm ready!" Dug wagged his tail and barked.

Back onto the airship, Carl snuck in silently with Kairi trailing right behind him. Charles's awareness of their presence was very apparent by the amount of dogs that were on guard. One particular hallways that they had to pass was heavily guarded, but thanks to Dug, he found an alternate way around them. He pointed his snout into the ventilation system. Kairi chuckled softly to herself. She should've known better having seen a lot of TV shows with people sneaking around through the air vents.

Navigating the vents turned out to be a very easy alternate path. Kairi expected for the three of them to be crawling in a tight space, but instead, was nothing more than navigating a number of catwalks. Carl heard Kevin squawking in the distance and signaled for Kairi and Dug to follow him. The louder Kevin's sounds became, the faster they moved, knowing well that they were getting closer to her.

Upon finding the room where Kevin was held hostage, Kairi and Carl looked down and made eye contact with the distressed bird, giving her assurance that they were on their way to rescue her. As the two of them snuck around above, they also searched the room and assessed the situation before deciding to try anything too drastic. Unfortunately for them, Charles was rather clever and had a good number of dogs stationed in the room keeping watch, including Beta and Gamma.

"Great...Kevin's surrounded." Carl growled.

"Other than me taking out all of those dogs by myself, how else do we get rid of them?" Kairi asked.

Carl and Kairi both looked down at the sound of chewing and noticed Dug chewing on one of the tennis balls that was attached to his cane. The two of them smiled down at Dug, who only looked up at them with a confused expression. Carl had him and Kairi stay hidden while he decided to hop down onto the top of Kevin's cage. The dogs didn't seem to have any idea of Carl's presence in the room, until he tapped the cage with his cane. The sound of metal clanking against each other drew their attention right to where the source came from. With the dogs' attention, Carl took a ball from the bottom and held it up high, ready to ask the one question any dog wants to hear.

"Who wants the ball?" Carl asked with a wide smile.

"OH! ME! ME! BALL! BALL!" The dogs all began barking and jumping against the cage desperate to get their jaws around the ball.

"Go get it!"

Just as Carl predicted, he threw the ball out of the room and every single dog followed it, creating a dog pile as each one of them competed for who would catch the ball. Gamma was the champion, but not for long. He and the rest of the dogs looked back and noticed Kairi standing in the doorway. Without giving them any time to react, she snickered before slamming the door and locking it, leaving the entire pack dumbfounded and with their jaws hanging wide open.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Outside of the airship, things over at Carl's house began to get chaotic as Naminé's flying, once again, proved to be less than stellar. Despite being distracted with taking out any Heartless that may have appeared in their way, Xion's stomach wasn't working with the awful flying. The house was swaying back and forth, not helping her stomach and even Russell wasn't having the best of times with the flight. She decided she had enough and decided to take charge.

"Naminé, just let me pilot the house, you're swaying too much!" Xion groaned.

"I got it! It's fine!"

"No it's not! I'm getting airsick! Give me the ropes!" She began grabbing the ropes, causing the house to jerk in different directions.

Naminé squealed as she almost lost her balance. "Xion! You're making it worse! Cut it out!"

While the girls were having their catfight over who was flying the house, Russell was within the entryway of the house, struggling to release himself. The harder he squirmed, the looser the ropes became, but unbeknownst to him or Xion and Naminé, his squirming caused the chair to inch back slowly but surely until it got through the front door and onto the porch.

"Yes! I'm free!" Russell exclaimed as he broke free from the ropes only for the chair to fall back off the porch and take him down with it. He cried out in anguish as he grabbed the hose for support and also got the attention of Xion and Naminé.

"Russell!" Both of them yelled his name. Naminé ran out onto the front porch and looked down, relieved that he seemed to have a good grip on the hose. "You okay down there?"

"I think so! I don't have to go to the bathroom anymore!"

"Don't worry! I'm gonna get you up! Xion, steer away from the airship! We're too close!"

Xion nodded as she yanked on the ropes. "Got it!"

As the house began flying around smoothly, the situation seemed to be looking much better for Xion and Naminé, until something peculiar to them surrounded them. It was an airplane fleet, but no ordinary fleet. The planes were piloted by dogs. Both girls sighed heavily and rolled their eyes. They should've known that it would've been way too easy for them to just calmly fly around in the house. Xion and Naminé agreed that Xion would fly the house while Naminé would either fire magic spells or cast Shell spells around the house should the situation call for it.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"Come on, Kevin! Let's go save your babies and get you home!" Kairi said as she shot a beam from her Keyblade and unlocked Kevin's cage. Now that the dogs were locked out, it seemed like a perfect time to break her free.

"I don't think so."

Kairi gasped as she watched Aros and Kaguya emerge from their portal. "I guess you're both back for more, huh?"

Aros laughed and applauded. "Smart girl, huh?"

"You won't be taking that bird!" Kaguya growled as she jabbed a finger in Kairi's direction.

"Guys! Get out of here! I'll take care of them!" Kairi demanded as she crouched into her battle stance.

"Cute, you want a rematch. Too bad you're outnumbered this time." Aros cracked as he summoned his own Keyblade.

"Maybe she'll learn a lesson this time around." Kaguya nodded.

Kairi watched as Kevin attempted to hop in front of her and squawk at Aros again. "Maybe you might just become a second helping of bird food!"

Aros sighed and shook his head. "I guess maybe you're not as smart as you think." He snapped his fingers before chains shot from below and wrapped around Kevin, causing her to wail and struggle.

"No! Kevin!"

"It's either you, or it's bye bye birdie…" Aros hissed as Kaguya held her Keyblade right above Kevin's neck.

"No…" Carl muttered.

Kairi's eyes darted between Kevin and her enemies. The situation was practically asking for her to surrender, otherwise Aros and Kaguya were going to kill Kevin. Her mind started to scramble as if there was a ticking time bomb, until her eyes landed on what would ultimately be her saving grace. There was a skeleton of some large beast that Kairi had never seen before, but it didn't matter to her She summoned her Keyblade and smacked it against the skeleton hard enough that the impact caused individual bones to collapse. Much like a domino effect, when one bone collapsed, they all did. The skull of the beast landed on Kaguya while Aros got buried in various bones, giving Kairi a chance to shoot a beam of light at the chains and free Kevin.

"Go! Get Kevin out of here!" Kairi yelled. She watched as Carl and Dug ran out with Kevin right behind them. "This between us! Leave them out of it!"

Kaguya grunted as she shoved the skull off her. "You just don't know when to quit, do you?"

"I could ask the same thing of you two!"

Aros growled as he got in front of Kaguya. "Forget the old man and the bird! We have Kairi right where we want her."

"Come at me!"

Aros and Kaguya gripped their Keyblades before charging toward Kairi, who decided to take them head on despite being outnumbered. If she truly wasn't afraid of them like she said she was, this was her time to prove it. As Aros and Kaguya lunged forward to attack, Kairi fell to the ground and slid past them, evading their attacks and giving her the advantage now that their backs were to her. She aimed her Keyblade at Kaguya and shot a Fire spell, nailing her right in the back like she planned. Kairi immediately turned to her left and saw Aros leaping into the air to come right for her. Not having much time to think, she held Destiny's Embrace up and blocked his attack, knocking him back and giving her a chance to hop to her feet, especially since Kaguya had bounced back and was coming right for her.

Kairi dodge rolled out of the way and clashed blades with Kaguya. She noticed Aros coming for her out of the corner of her eye and cast a Water spell, which washed him away while she continued to try and land her attacks on Kaguya, who managed to be a lot stronger and held herself in the battle significantly better. She managed to counter Kairi and knocked her back. As Kairi scrambled to her feet, she saw Kaguya create what looked like an orb of dark matter in her hand before shooting it towards her. She rolled out of the way and hopped back up, attempting to get her back with her own Water spell only for Kaguya to fire dark matter at the water, disintegrating it.

"Looks like you've gotten stronger since the last time we fought!" Kairi jested.

Kaguya snickered. "Guess that makes two of us."

The two girls clashed their blades before Kaguya knocked Kairi back once again, only for her to go into a backflip this time and launch herself forward in a pinwheel fashion. Kaguya didn't have enough time to react, leaving her open to receive Kairi's intense attack that nailed her right in the gut. She was knocked back and off her feet, leaving Kairi a second to be proud for a hot second. Aros had snuck up behind her and shoved her down to the ground before shooting a Dark Fire spell at her. She hopped back to her feet before blocking Aros' attack. Kairi lunged forward only for Aros to counter and knock her off her feet. He smacked his Keyblade against her in rapid succession before knocking her against a wall.

Kairi lay on the ground catching her breath. As she noticed Aros coming right for her, she held up her Keyblade and cast Cure on herself, managing to give her enough time to get back up. Unfortunately, Kaguya had regained her composure and was also joining Aros by his side in going after her. Kairi's eyes darted between her two enemies. It was true she had gotten stronger and was able to hold herself in battle better this time around, but so did they. She thought for a second before remembering the emergency spell she cast on them when they were back outside by Kevin's nest. Kairi shut her eyes, praying this spell work like it did before.

"STOP!" Kairi yelled as she held out a hand in front of Aros and Kaguya, temporarily stopping time once again. She knocked Aros back with her Keyblade before kicking him all the way to the ground. With him down, Kairi dove to the ground and held him down. "Who has the upperhand now, Aros?"

Aros panted as he stared up at Kairi, who only shot deadly violet orbs right into his shielded face. She stood up and towered above him. This was her chance. She had him down and Kaguya was still frozen from the Stop spell. She could finally finish him off and he would be out of her life for good. Kairi held her Keyblade up while her heart raced. She had fought a good number of enemies already, but actually killing someone and finishing them off? Her heart pounded against her chest, almost in a way that made her feel like she would regret it if she actually killed him.

"Stop!" Aros yelled as he held up an arm. Kairi looked at him funny as he turned his face away from her, as if he were shielding it away from her. "Go…" He whispered.

"W-what?"

"Are you stupid? Go! Get out of here!" Aros yelled, as if he were in physical pain.

Despite being unsure of what was going on, Kairi decided not to argue with Aros letting her go. With Kaguya still frozen in time, she knew if she didn't take advantage of the situation, it was going to mean more trouble. Having been separated from Carl and Dug for a while, Kairi had no idea where they could've ended up. Instead, she found herself running down multiple different hallways, taking out any Heartless that appeared to get in her way. She managed to find herself cornered at one point by a group of dogs, but didn't have much of an issue taking them out thanks to the new techniques Leon taught her back at Radiant Garden.

After making a lap around the airship, Kairi finally came upon the room that Carl ended up in. He wasn't just in the room though. She burst through as she watched Carl and Charles engage in what seemed to be a one-on-one fight. If this weren't a life or death situation, Kairi would've found it amusing watching two old men right, especially considering this couldn't have been good on their backs and aching bones. Yet, Carl, despite using his can as opposed to Charles actually using a sword, managed to keep the upper hand. He smacked Charles right on the head and knocked him down, giving Carl a chance to escape.

"Mr. Fredricksen! You were great!" Kairi praised him as she ran into the room and kicked dust right into Charles' face.

"Kairi!" Carl called from outside. "Hurry! Out here!'

Now that the two were reunited, Carl helped Kairi evacuate the ship and grabbed hold of some bars that were right above the window. Each of them grabbed hold with the hope of just climbing to the top and making the jump back onto the house once Xion got it closer. Charles had attempted to catch up to them and grabbed Kairi at the ankle. She squealed from the impact and almost lost her grip. Charles growled as the two made eye contact, only for her to shoot a deadly scowl and put her combat boots to good use, kicking him in the face numerous times.

On the house side of things, Xion and Naminé seemed to be having their own issues since Charles released his dog fleet on them. Xion was charged steering the house in a way that would help them dodge any heavy attacks from the dogs' plane fire. Naminé stood out on the front porch and began casting whatever magic spells she could at each of them. While the Heartless were easily disposable, the dogs were surprisingly very good at fighting and didn't have problems evading Naminé's magic spells.

"I can't believe this is happening!" Xion grunted.

"What is?" Naminé asked as she continued shooting Fire spells.

"I'm fighting dogs in airplanes! The boys back home aren't gonna believe this!"

"Yeah, probably!" Naminé leaned over the edge of the front porch to get to a good look at Russell. "You need to climb up, Russell! You'll be safer!"

"I...I can't!" Russell grunted after failing to climb again.

"You gotta, kid!" Xion encouraged him.

"Russell!" Carl called from the distance. "Caw! Caw! Rawr! Caw! Caw Rawr!" He yelled along with Kairi.

Russell furrowed his eyebrows as his heart began racing. "You leave Mr. Fredricksen alone!"

Despite how hard it was, Russell began climbing the hose once again. This time though, he didn't let his weakness keep him down. He struggled, but he climbed, and climbed. Naminé and Xion cheered him on as he slowly but surely inched his way up. As he reached for the porch, Naminé knelt down and helped him finish the climb. Russell took a minute to catch his breath before looking up and smiling widely at Naminé, proud of himself for his accomplishments. There wasn't much time for celebrating since she had to return to protecting the house from the dogs and the Heartless, which were finally eliminated after a few more good shots with her Keyblade.

"We got the Heartless out of the way, but what about the other dogs?" Naminé asked.

Russell thought for a moment before running outside of the house. "Hey!" He yelled toward the dogs. "Squirrel!"

The dog fleet all got distracted by the idea of there being a squirrel around, which led them to colliding with each other. The collision caused the planes to explode, but the dogs managed to survive, no thanks to their parachutes. Beta and Gamma sighed as they slowly began to float downward safely, swearing that they hated squirrels. Could anyone blame them though?

Kairi and Carl finally reached the top of the airship and saw that Charles was out of sight. They decided to take a moment to catch their breath, only for their relaxation to be interrupted by loud banging against the emergency hatch in front of them. Carl gasped while Kairi held her arm out in front of him, in fear that it could be Aros and Kaguya coming for them. Instead, the hatch burst open and Dug's head popped out, with ears perked up and his tongue hanging out. Clenched in his jaws was the cage that held Kevin's babies. Kairi and Carl cheered as he hopped out and trotted over to them with his tail wagging frantically.

"Dug!" Carl exclaimed.

Kairi laughed as she hugged him. "You're okay!"

"Yes I am! I took care of Alpha! He's no longer Alpha anymore! And I got the babies too!" Dug barked.

"You're a good boy, Dug!" Carl and Kairi looked up and watched as Xion piloted the house closer to the airship. "Good work, Xion! Let's go everyone!"

Xion steered the house close enough to where it was a safe distance for Kairi, Carl, and Dug to jump right onto the porch. Russell and Naminé all watched with anticipation. Dug was on board first, then Kairi hopped right onto the porch and held her hand out to help Carl up. Once all feet were planted on the porch, the sound of a gunshot sent panic all throughout. Everyone looked up and saw a hefty number of balloons either pop or just simply float away. The loss of air support sent the house free falling briefly until it landed roughly on the airship.

Carl and Kairi fell off the porch, not having any time to get back on before the house started sliding down the ship. Xion and Naminé, as fearless as they were, both start screaming while holding onto Russell and the animals. Carl scrambled to his feet and hustled as fast as he could after the house. Kairi chased after him, not even bothering to pay attention to the fact that Charles and his Greater Snipe Heartless were on their tail. The two of them slid all the way down and managed to grab the hose before the house could fall overboard. Carl and Kairi held on as hard as they could, up until the rest of the group noticed Charles and the Heartless getting close to them.

"No! Mr. Fredricksen!" The kids yelled in unison.

Kairi gasped as she whirled around and caught sight of Charles and the Greater Snipe. "That's it! Time to put an end to this adventure!" She growled as she let go of the hose and summoned her Keyblade.

The Greater Snipe immediately began charging for Carl only for Kairi to dash between the two and blocked its attack. Now with the Heartless and Kairi facing against each other directly, the Greater Snip squawked at Kairi and began jabbing its beak against her. She gripped her Keyblade tightly as she backed away, continuing to block the Heartless, fearing that one false move could mean big trouble for her. Kairi finally smacked her weapon against the Greater Snipe's beak and knocked it back, giving her a chance to dodge roll out of the way and smack it in the leg. The impact caused the Heartless enough pain that it lost its footing and collapsed face first onto the ground.

Charles groaned as he watched Kairi have the upper hand on his Heartless. Fully aware of her strength, he decided to go after Xion and Naminé, who were looking after Russell, Dug, and Kevin in the house. Charles took his rifle and began hammering it against the door. Russell clutched onto Dug and Naminé gasped while Xion stepped in front of her and held her arms out, attempting to shield the others as much as she could.

"Leave them alone!" Carl yelled at Charles. He looked back and noticed Kairi fighting off the Greater Snipe. "You okay, Kairi?"

"I'm...fine!" She grunted as she countered the Heartless' attempt at attacking her. "Don't worry about me! Save the others!"

Kairi shuffled back before charging at the Greater Snipe. She swung her Keyblade until her attack was interrupted by it gripping hold of her Keyblade. She gasped and held on tight as the Heartless swung her around relentlessly. When Kairi realized the Heartless wasn't going to stop, she finally released her grip and spun into a backflip that allowed her to have a smooth landing. As soon as her feet planted on the ground Kairi held out her hand, causing her Keyblade to disappear from the grip of the Greater Snipe's beak and rematerialized in her hand.

The Greater Snipe squawked in surprise as it watched Kairi retrieve her weapon. It kicked its leg forward, intending to trip her, only for her to hop up and evade it. Her landing smoothly transitioned into a Slide Dash as she lunged forward and knocked the Greater Snipe off its feet once again. Before giving it a chance to hop back to its feet, Kairi held up her Keyblade and cast a Thunder spell. It was enough to do a hefty amount of damage, but the Greater Snipe managed to shake it off and get right back to going after Kairi.

Unlike earlier, the Heartless got smart. It faked Kairi out with its beak before swiping its foot and knocking her to the side. She grunted from the impact and gasped, noticing that she was super close to falling off the edge of the airship. Kairi caught her breath and looked up, noticing that the Greater Snipe had her cornered right at the edge and she didn't have much room to move without her going over the edge. Her heart started racing as it raised its head, its beak aimed right for her. It seemed as if time suddenly slowed down as Kairi's eyes darted between the Heartless' head and the space between its long legs.

Reacting to her first instinct, as the Greater Snipe's beak came plummeting down, Kairi sommersalted her way through its legs, causing it to completely miss her and sent its beak piercing through the ship. The Heartless struggled as its beak remained stuck, unable to pull it out. Taking advantage of its immobility, Kairi ran back towards it and with one strong jump, she stabbed it in the back of the heart, delivering a final blow. The Greater Snipe wailed in pain as its body collapsed to the ground and the feathers began to shed, all while rotting back to its original skeletal state. Kairi huffed as she flipped her hair back, satisfied with her accomplishments, before turning to see how everything was holding up with the rest of the group.

Charles had broken into the house and was now more desperate than ever to get to everyone else, especially given the fact that they had Kevin, which he was still after. Carl gasped as he watched the hose begin to detach from the house's porch due to the stress of him pulling hard enough on it. His eyes focused in on the window and could see Kevin with the rest of the kids huddling around her. Kevin, that was it! Carl gasped as he came up with an idea that was a huge gamble, but could also be the only way everyone would be able to make it out safely at this point.

"Kids! Hang on to Kevin! Don't let go of her!" Carl demanded.

Xion wrapped her arms around the bird while everyone stayed frozen. "Well? You heard Gramps! Grab onto Kevin!" Naminé and Russell nodded as they held onto each other as well as Dug and Kevin.

Carl dug into his pocket as soon as he saw everyone was ready and held up a chocolate bar. "Kevin! Chocolate!" He yelled.

Kevin's head perked up as she heard Carl yell out the name of her favorite food. As any normal bird would react, she took off dashing forward and through the window. Once she landed on the hose, it broke off the house completely, causing the house to begin floating off. Desperate for one last attempt to make it out, Charles leapt through the window only for his leg to be snagged by some of the balloons. The impact and weight of the house caused the strings to snap, leaving Charles no choice but to fall to his death. Carl and Kairi both looked down and watched the greedy old man meet his demise.

Kairi chuckled with amusement. "I guess whatever goes up must come down, right Mr. Fredricksen?"

"Y'know, you've got quite a sense of humor." Carl laughed and shook his head.

"Wait! Where are the others?" She asked frantically. "Naminé! Xion! Russell!" She yelled out their names.

"Down here!" Xion yelled back. Everyone looked down and saw Kevin at the edge of the hose with Xion, Naminé, Russell, and Dug hanging onto her. "We're okay!"

"That was cool!" Russell exclaimed, causing everyone to laugh.

Carl and Kairi laughed along with him. "Okay, everyone climb up! Easy does it!" The two of them held the hose while the rest of the group climbed up one at a time. "There we go! Almost there!" Carl encouraged as he helped each of them up.

Dug sighed in relief. "I'm ready to not be up high.

After helping everyone all the way up, Carl looked upon the house that was once his. He watched with a heavy heart as it floated away to wherever the winds carried it. It had seemed that the house was in for a rather calm ride for the winds were blowing with it rather than against it like they were earlier in the journey. He sighed as he watched the house disappear within the clouds. Russell and the girls all stood by Carl, bidding their own farewell to the house, knowing well how much it meant to Carl.

"Mr. Fredricksen...your house?" Kairi muttered.

Russell sighed as he looked up at Carl sympathetically. "I'm sorry about your house."

"You know…" Carl smiled warmly and rested a hand on Russell's back. "It's just a house. Somebody taught me today that it's the memories that I keep inside my heart that truly matter. Isn't that right, Kairi?" He looked over at her softly.

Kairi smiled back and nodded. "That is right, but I can't take credit for teaching you that." She looked over at Naminé and took her by the hand before pulling her forward. "Naminé here is the one who taught both of us. If it weren't for her, we probably wouldn't be where we are now."

"Is that right, Naminé?" He asked, his eyebrows raising.

Naminé nodded before pulling out her sketchbook. "Yes. The whole time we were here, I started seeing visions of a girl." She explained as she flipped through the pages and showed everyone. "The longer we were with Mr. Fredricksen, the more he started to appear in these visions with this girl. I started putting the pieces together, especially when he started mentioning the name 'Ellie'. I was finally able to figure out why Mr. Fredricksen was the way he was. It was because of something we're all either going through right now or have been through, which is heartbreak."

"Naminé...that's….that's my Ellie." Carl muttered as he gazed into the sketchbook. "How…?"

"It's a little complicated, and I'm not even so sure I know how this happens, but I can ask you this." She smiled and held out her hand. "Would you like to see her? As you remember her?"

"See...her…?" His eyes darted between everyone, who all nodded in encouragement. "I do...more than anything."

Naminé nodded as she took both of Carl's hands. "Now, just close your eyes and think of her, feel her in your heart."

Carl did as he was told and closed his eyes. As he dove deeper into his heart, the wind started evolving into a warm and soft voice, one that he knew instantly. He gasped, twitching slightly at the sound. He was suddenly in a beautiful place, the place where the sky meets the sea and every star had a story to it. Carl watched as one star floated close to him before materializing into the young redheaded woman he fell in love with all those years ago. He smiled widely and mouthed Ellie's name.

Ellie simply smiled and held out her hand. Carl reached for it and took it. As he did, he felt himself suddenly changing. Within a flash, the world had become the park that they used to have picnics at and watch the clouds go by. Carl even looked at himself and realized that he had travelled back a number of years and was now a young man again. He gasped as Ellie's grip on his hand tightened. She began pulling him across the field. It was just as beautiful as he remembered it. Flowers everywhere, squirrels climbing on the trees, and on the top of the hill was a picnic basket on the same red and white checkered blanket they had used for years.

Per their usual routine, Carl raced Ellie up the hill with her winning, as always. He reached the top and caught his breath before reaching for her hands and holding them gently. The young couple shared a loving gaze before Ellie reached down and adjusted his bowtie that was crooked. Carl looked down at the bowtie and laughed. Who knew how long that bowtie was crooked. He was never good at keeping track of it, her always having to adjust it for him. The two turned and looked up at the clouds in the sky. This time, the clouds had formed into a dog, a bird, a young boy's face, and three clouds formed into stars. Ellie and Carl looked at each other and smiled, knowing exactly how these clouds meant to them.

As the clouds passed by, Carl looked over at Ellie, who simply seemed to be at peace, with her eyes closed and a soft smile on his face. He could feel in his heart that it was getting time for the two of them to part ways again, for it wasn't his time yet. Carl sighed and held his head low before Ellie tilted it towards her. He gazed into her eyes with sadness until she smiled and placed two fingers on her cheeks, reminding him to smile and have a new adventure. Carl was instantly reminded of the promise he made and nodded, returning the warm smile. She crossed her chest, as did he, something they hadn't done in many years. They both had a promise to uphold. Ellie had a promise of always looking out for Carl while he promised he would be strong enough to carry on happily.

Ellie leaned forward and kissed Carl on the cheek before starting to back away. He reached out for her until she stopped. Before she could make anymore moves, Ellie looked to the side, as did Carl, who saw a figure who was unfamiliar to him, but knew deep down in his heart who it was. He knew that this boy who was approaching him was Sora, the one he had learned about from Kairi. Carl mouthed his name and tilted his head, seeking confirmation. Sora smiled and nodded his head. He curled his hand into a fist and held it up to his heart before mouthing 'thank you'. Carl couldn't help but smile, picking up that Sora was indeed thanking him for watching out for Kairi and helping her overcome the milestone that was grief, but Carl also thanked Sora in return for, in a way, leading Kairi to him.

Sora and Ellie looked at each other with confident smiles and nodded, as if they both knew it was time to return back to where they came from. Carl waved as he watched both his beloved and Kairi's beloved both walk off into the distance, disappearing as the park returned to the world where the sky meets the sea. At this point, he could feel himself returning back to reality. After a great shock, Carl shot his eyes back open, breathing heavily, but softly. He got a good look back at the real world, but still could feel the overwhelming joy he felt when he saw Ellie for the first time in years.

"Ellie...my Ellie…" Carl whispered with tears in his eyes. He wiped his tears and sniffled with a bright smile on his face.

"Are you okay?" Naminé asked.

"Yes, I'm fine, and I'll continue to be fine."

Kairi nodded as she rested her hand against her beating heart. "And I'll be okay too, Sora."

Now, with Charles out of the picture, the airship was now under Carl's control. He may have lost his house, but now gained new freedom to travel and see the world just like he always wanted. His first mission though, was to return Kevin and her babies back home safely and where they belonged. This time, there were no Heartless to get in their way. Kairi was still concerned about Aros and Kaguya, but they seemed to be out of the picture...for now. After all, _she _was their target, not Kevin and her babies.

As the airship landed, everybody rushed out, especially Kevin. She was beyond relieved to be out of that dreadful ship where she was held hostage and that her babies were alive. Speaking of babies, they were just as eager to get out of the cage. Russell finally set the cage down on the ground and opened the little door. Each of the baby chicks scampered around chirping like crazy. Kevin brought her chicks in and nuzzled them, giving them the much needed mother's love that they needed.

"You're home!" Russell exclaimed.

Kairi laughed as she clapped her hands together. "Look at those cuties go!" She watched as they scurried about before running back to the group and nuzzling them. "Aww, you're so precious!" She cooed as she picked up a baby.

"I've always wanted a pet bird!" Naminé giggled as she nuzzled another baby against her face. "I wish I could keep one!"

Carl laughed as one ended up on his head. "Look at you, little rascal!"

"They really are cute!" Xion laughed as she took the one off Carl's head and held it for Russell to pet.

"They're so soft!" Russell held the baby in his hands and gazed down on it.

The fun was interrupted by Kevin squawking at her babies, indicating that it was time to round them all up and head for home.

"I guess it's time to say goodbye, huh?" Russell asked.

"Yeah, not just to Kevin." Xion answered.

Kairi nodded as she sighed heavily. "We have to get going too."

"Aww, you're leaving?" Dug whimpered.

Carl's face softened as he lowered his eyebrows. "Yep. Kairi has a special mission to complete."

Russell looked up at the girls with glassy eyes. "You'll come back someday, right?"

"Of course we will!" Kairi knelt down to his level and rested a hand on his shoulder. "We're still coming to your ceremony and to eat ice cream! We'll tell you all about our adventures. In fact," She pulled out her notebook and held it close to her. "I'll write you letters if you'd like."

"Really? Can I write back to you? We can share adventure logs! Like pen pals!"

Naminé laughed and nodded. "That sounds like a great idea!"

"Okay, I'll do that then! Promise!" Kairi nodded with a warm smile on her face.

"Cross your heart?" Russell asked as he crossed his chest with his finger.

"Cross my heart." She did the same back to him.

Xion nudged Kairi while laughing. "We'll hold her to it. Wilderness Explorer's honor!"

Russell smiled widely as Kairi stood up with the rest of the girls. "Yeah, Wilderness Explorers!"

"An explorer is a friend to all, be it plants, or fish, or a tiny mole. The wilderness must be explored! Caw! Caw! Rawr!" Everyone recited in unison.

Carl grunted as his hearing aid began squealing. Everyone looked at him with guilty looks on their faces, forgetting all about the aid. "Hey, what's with the long faces? You have the whole world to see!" He waved off the inconvenience, eliciting smiles and laughs from everyone.

Kairi looked up at the sky and saw that it was getting rather close to sundown. Knowing well that Carl was probably ready to start on his journey to take Russell home, and the fact that they still had their own mission, the girls said their goodbyes to everyone. Dug was a typical dog and whimpered in sadness, but promised that Kairi, Naminé, and Xion would always be his masters. Russell shared a hug with each of them, all in the hopes that one day, he'll meet them again and learn all about their adventures.

"I think that covers everyone!" Xion said with her hands on her hips. "We ready to move on, ladies?"

Naminé nodded. "Yep! Kairi?"

"Yeah." She turned to Carl with a warm look on her face. "Mr. Fredricksen, I know we got off to a rocky start at the beginning, but I just want to say thank you, for everything."

Carl smiled and shook his head. "No, I should thank _you_. If you didn't have as big of a heart as you do, I probably never would've seen the light." He looked over at Naminé and Xion as his eyes scanned all three of them. "Don't forget this, girls. Adventure isn't about the time or the place, it's about the people you share it with. The greatest adventure is the one you share with the people you love."

Kairi smiled at Naminé and Xion before pulling them both into a group hug. "I think I'm okay with having these two stick around."

"You're _just _okay with it?" Xion snickered.

Naminé laughed as she tightened the hug. "Nah, Kairi loves us too much!" The other two laughed along with her.

Carl joined in laughing with them until he got an idea. "Oh, Kairi! Before you go, I have something here for you." He pulled out Ellie's adventure book and held it out to her. "I...I want you to have this." 

Kairi gasped she gazed down at the book before shaking her head. "I couldn't take this. It means too much to you." 

"I know, and I know you'll cherish it with all your heart." He lowered his voice. "Ellie and I were planning to pass this down to our child with the hopes they would pass it down to our grandchildren."

"Oh…I see." She lowered her head.

"I never thought I'd ever have a chance to experience a relationship between a father and a daughter, or a grandfather and his granddaughter." A tear rolled down Carl's cheek and onto the book. "But I did...I got to experience a love I never thought I'd ever have, thanks to all of you." He stepped forward and rested the book in Kairi's hands. "Kairi, there are pages that Ellie left empty."

"Mr. Fredricksen?" Kairi choked out as her eyes flooded with tears.

"When you find that boy of yours, fill it up with your own adventures, together. I know from experience, that you two have a bright future ahead of you, with a love that will last forever, even past death." Carl said warmly, as if he were talking to his own grandchild.

Tears fell down Kairi's cheeks as she ran forward and embraced Carl. Although stunned at first, he chuckled and returned the hug. Xion and Naminé simply smiled before Carl invited the two of them to join in. Even Russell was invited into the family hug. Everyone squeezed tightly before the girls released themselves. Kairi clutched the book close to her and crossed her chest, assuring that she will keep her promise to take care of it and fill it up with her own adventures after saving Sora.

"Okay, you crazy kids! Get out of here! Adventure is out there!" Carl exclaimed. He, Russell, and Dug watched the girls walk off in the distance, ready to board their ship and travel to their next destination. "We'll never forget you, right Ellie?" Carl muttered softly.

Before the girls were out of sight, Kairi turned and got one last look at Carl and Russell, who were both waving them off. She smiled and held a hand to her chest. "May your heart be your guiding key…" Kairi whispered.

**A/N: I'm pretty sure the amount of tears I cried during this world are enough to fill gallons of water jugs. But here, for those who cried… *Hands tissues out***


	29. The Mysterious Book

**A/N: Welp, wasn't planning on finishing this until tomorrow, but thanks to insomnia, I got it finished naow! **

Chapter 29: The Mysterious Book

Carl may have parted ways with his house, but that didn't mean it was lost forever. The house happened to float to the one place he was trying to bring get to, the very top of Paradise Falls, thus keeping his promise to Ellie. It sat there quietly and overlooked the rest of the world that still remained unknown to many explorers while its contents and furnitured were scattered about the ground that it covered. Yet, the fact that there was not a single living soul in sight almost created a haunting feel to it, almost as if Ellie herself was enjoying her dream home in spirit, ready to watch over her beloved.

Yet, it didn't take long for the silence to be ruined. In this exact location, Aros and Kaguya both emerged from dark portals. It was apparent from Kaguya's harsh pacing that she wasn't happy, specifically with Aros. Considering all that occurred on Charles' airship between them and Kairi, it was understandable why she was upset with him, despite her having a hard time actually expressing her frustrations with him. Aros emerged behind her, doing his best to avoid eye contact with her, but the harshness in her voice wasn't helping in the slightest.

"Why would you tell her to just run away like that?" Kaguya asked, her voice raised an octave.

Aros groaned and folded his arms. "I'd appreciate it if you didn't yell at me like that."

"I'm gonna yell at you because at this rate, Master is gonna kill you for letting her get away again! Multiple times, mind you!"

"Well, what do you want me to do about it?" He asked as he turned his back to her.

"Stop being so weak and actually take her down! So far all you've done is gotten beaten up by a tree and a bird!" She yelled.

"Tough talk coming from someone who is just as capable! Why don't you take the initiative for once?"

"Because you claim to be this 'strong' fighter when-"

"Look, can we just drop this already? The master's already gonna yell at me as it is!" Aros stormed away and sat in one of Carl's chairs. "Besides, he's got you. Why does he need me? Why do any of you need me?"

Kaguya shifted her gaze to the ground, leaving an awkward silence between the two. She had an answer to his question, yet didn't know how to say it or whether she even wanted to say it. She rested her hand against her chest as she felt something comparable to a stab at the chest. The thought of Aros not being there with her was enough to stir this feeling. Kaguya breathed deeply, almost having trouble with it. She was beyond familiar with feelings of negativity and yet, this seemed to hurt more than anything else so far. She looked over at Aros, who was staring down at the ground, avoiding eye contact, and could feel goosebumps appearing on her skin despite her perfect-fitting armor.

After giving Aros a moment alone, Kaguya walked over and took a seat in the chair next to him. It seemed as if the pain in her chest suddenly went away, now that she was closer to him. She started wishing she hadn't yelled at him the way she did. Her thoughts wandered back to their time together so far, and despite her knowing next to nothing about life compared to him, Aros had been patient with her. It could be argued that he almost looked after her, never once really putting her down. She opened her mouth slightly, deciding that she had nothing to lose, and tried to come up with the right words to say.

"I need you because...if you're not here, then I'm all by myself." Kaguya folded her hands. "It gets...lonely."

"You? Lonely?" Aros asked, his voice softening. "But the master, he-"

"Yes, he was there when I had nobody, but...for the most part, he's left me alone, until he needs me for something. It's not his fault though. I've always felt this way, for as long as I can remember."

Aros sighed as he held his head low. "I can't say I can relate. I mean, I have memories where I've felt alone, but I can't say they've lasted as long as yours have."

"When you did feel lonely, did you have somebody else to take away those feelings?"

"Yeah, there was...always someone there...except for the one time."

Kaguya tilted her head to the side. "What happened?"

"I...can't really talk about it. It brings too much pain to my heart." He answered as he rested a hand against his chest.

Kaguya watched intently as Aros' hand slowly curled into a fist. She could tell he was thinking about whatever was causing the pain in his heart. It was enough to spark her curiosity. Yet, she knew that Aros was stubborn enough to keep it to himself. Instead, Kaguya shut her eyes and allowed the sounds of crashing waterfalls to fill her with a strange feeling of warmth, one that she rarely felt. Aros looked over and saw her leaning her head back. He couldn't see past her helmet, yet could feel in his heart that she was at peace. It was almost settling. It made him want to slow things down in life. He started getting the feeling of wanting to stop and smell the flowers and enjoy the little things the world had to offer.

"This is a great view, huh?" Aros sighed.

"It is, it's beautiful." Kaguya nodded. "The noise reminds me of something familiar. It reminds me of sounds that I feel like I've heard before, but at the same time, I haven't."

"What are these sounds?"

"They come from this large body of water. It's so clear and there are great blue skies and white sand-"

"Oh! The ocean? At the beach?" Aros cut her off.

Kaguya nodded and smiled widely. "Yes! The ocean! I love listening to the ocean. It makes me feel...warm inside. Just like the way Kairi feels warm inside when she talks about that boy." She sighed and leaned in her chair. "I'd love to go visit the beach sometime. It looks amazing."

"It really is." He smiled as he looked out far in the distance. "The skies are as blue as you imagine them to be, and the water is so clear you can see your reflection in it. When the sun goes down, the sky glows in all of these reds and oranges, and even a little bit of purple. It's…" Aros looked over at Kaguya, who couldn't appear to be more content as she leaned back, imagining what he was saying in her mind. "It's...beautiful."

"I'd love to see it someday, and those fruits, the ones that are shaped like stars." Kaguya sighed as she twiddled her fingers.

Aros gasped as he stiffened up in his seat. "Oh, those are called Paopu fruits. They...are special. If two people exchange them, their hearts are intertwined forever, and they'll remain a part of each other's lives, no matter what."

"Wow…"

Kaguya gasped as she suddenly saw a vision flashing in her mind. It was a series of memories that started with a young Sora and Kairi carving each other's faces onto the all within their secret place on Destiny Islands, to each of them adding a Paopu to the drawing, to the fateful night before their battle against Xehanort, the night Sora and Kairi exchanged an oath to protect each other and remain a part of each other's lives forever. Kaguya's heart started racing as her eyes grew glassy as she watched the beautiful scene unfold. It was unlike anything she had ever seen before. She couldn't help but wonder if two people truly were capable of sharing a bond like that.

"Kaguya?"

"Kairi...she shared one of those fruits with the boy?" She asked.

Aros nodded. "Yeah, it looks like they did. Sora is someone...very precious to Kairi, and he cherished her the same way." He chuckled with amusement. "It was almost like they were…well, you know."

Kaguya shook her head slowly. "I know what?"

"You know, in love?"

"Love?"

"Oh…" Aros sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "I guess you don't know about it, huh?"

"I'm afraid I don't." Kaguya reached over and rested her hand on Aros' arm. He flinched a bit before looking right back at her. "Can you tell me about it?"

"Well...I'm afraid I'm not the best guy to answer that question. I don't really know much about it myself."

"What do you know about love?"

"Hmmm…." He thought for a moment. "I...guess. I guess love is a strong connection shared between people, but it's so powerful that it's impossible to describe. Like, I guess in Sora and Kairi's case, it's when you have someone that gives you the strength to keep going when times get tough. Something like that."

Kaguya lowered her face and turned away. "Just like the old man that Kairi was with. He had someone who gave him the strength to keep going. Is that love?"

Aros chuckled as he folded his arms and leaned back. "I...suppose it is." He stared off as the sun began to set, the rays reflecting off the water below. "Hey Kaguya, maybe when we're done with all of this...I can...take you to the beach sometime?"

"I'd...I'd like that."

"Then we'll go. It's a promise." He softly muttered to himself.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Since leaving Paradise Falls, everybody seemed to be enjoying the break aboard the ship, especially Chirithy. He helped himself to a fresh cappuccino while Kairi sat in one of the passenger seats looking through Ellie's adventure book. The relief that neither of the girls were fighting the hot and humid jungles was apparent. Naminé had the AC blasting completely over towards her as she worked on a sketch of Chirithy with a bunch of empty coffee cups everywhere. It reminded Xion of a comic she read about a little furry yellow creature who solved crimes and was addicted to coffee. She also made a note to set a limit for Chirithy's coffee count. The last thing they needed was an animal on a caffeine high.

"Kairi, you've been looking at that book for hours. You've been letting me and Naminé drive!" Xion pointed out.

Naminé nodded. "Perhaps she's sick." She whispered.

"Nah, I can't help it. Carl and Ellie's love story is so heartbreakingly beautiful." Kairi sighed as she clutched the book close to her chest. "Besides, it's half full. There's empty pages that Carl told me to fill up with Sora. And I think I know the first thing I'm gonna put on in there." She reached into her pocket and pulled out her lucky charm. "Once it's complete, I'm gonna tape this charm into the book."

"But, don't you like giving Sora the charm anytime you two are separated?" Naminé asked as she tilted an eyebrow in confusion.

"Yeah, but listening to Carl talk about Ellie got me thinking." She shut her eyes and slipped the charm back into her pocket. "We don't need a lucky charm anymore. I would argue that we never needed it. Sora always had me within his heart anytime he was away from home, and he still will, just like he's in my heart and I'll always keep him close."

Xion sniffled as she stared ahead while piloting the ship. "That's beautiful, Kairi…"

"Xion? Are you crying?" Naminé asked as she moved forward and rested a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Oh no, sorry. It's allergy season and the dashboard is a little dusty." She turned back and revealed that her eyes were just a little red and foggy-looking.

"Hmmm…." Chirithy hopped over to the dashboard and wiped his paw on it. "I don't see any dust."

"Really, Chirithy?" Xion folded her arms and pouted.

"I'm only telling the truth!" He argued while holding his arms up.

"Just go drink your coffee already…" She rolled her eyes and pointed back to the cappuccino maker.

Chirithy huffed before hopping back to his spot. "With pleasure!" He took his cappuccino and sipped it, sighing blissfully afterwards. "Nothing like a nice cappuccino after a hard day's work." 

"Hard day's work? You try swinging a giant key and fighting Heartless on a daily basis." Kairi sighed while stretching her arms out. "It's no wonder Sora suddenly came back with plenty of muscle tone." She paused as the blood began to rush to her cheeks. "Not that I've...had a chance to really..._look_ or anything."

"Kairi's right. You spend your days hiding until you feel the need to come out." Naminé nodded as she put her hands on her hips.

"I know, it's so hard!" Chirithy wiped his brow dramatically. "It's like I was brought along on this journey so you girls can have an obligatory cute animal sidekick or something!"

The girls all laughed at Chirithy and his overly dramatic comments. He definitely became quite the companion for them anytime they needed a laugh. Even Chirithy was beginning to really enjoy his time with the trio. The laughter and merriment was short-lived though, for Kairi's phone began to ring. She gasped as she reached for the phone, curious about who was calling. She couldn't help but take a wild guess and thought it would be one of two people, both calling with the same thing in mind.

"Hiya Kairi!" Dale answered on the screen with Chip present as well.

"Chip! Dale! What's going on chippers?" Kairi answered sweetly.

"How's the ship runnin' since we fixed it?"

"Pretty swell! Thanks for all of your help before!"

"Kairi, there's a visitor waiting for you in Twilight Town!" Chip exclaimed as he hopped up and down in place.

"A visitor?" Kairi repeated to herself. "Who?"

"Merlin!"

"Merlin?" All three girls repeated in an exaggerated tone.

"You mean as in the same Merlin that trained Kairi?" Naminé asked.

Chip scratched his head and crossed his arms. "Unless there's another Merlin who's a powerful wizard we don't know about, it's definitely him!"

"Wow, I haven't seen him since mine and Axel's training…" Kairi muttered, her eyes staring towards the ground. "It felt like we were with him for a long time, but it truly wasn't."

"He'll be having tea at the bistro!" Dale mentioned.

Launchpad suddenly appeared on the screen. "Oh wait! One more thing before you hang up, Kairi!"

"What is it, Launchpad?"

"I ...might've forgotten to mention it to you three, but when we fixed your ship earlier, we installed a special gummi that'll cut down your travel time. It's a Warp-G. It'll allow you to open and instant portal and warp to worlds that you've already visited."

"Really? That's great!" Kairi and the girls all smiled widely at the new addition.

"The catch is that the ability to warp only works if you've been to specific world. How it works is that whenever you visit a world, your ship logs its coordinates, kinda like an 'address', if you will. If you want to warp, all you gotta do is look up that world's coordinates and press the warp button that we installed on the console." Launchpad explained.

"I knew there was a catch…" Chirithy sighed and shook his head.

"Nice! That'll definitely save us time!" Xion chuckled with a nod.

"If you don't have anymore questions, then that's all I have for you. Enjoy and take care!"

"Bye Launchpad!" Kairi hung up the phone and slipped it back into her pocket. "You two up for a quick visit to Twilight Town? We can try out the warp."

"Sure! I should check in with Roxas and Axel anyway. They're probably worried about me." Xion nodded in agreement as she buckled up.

"Yeah, and if Riku's still there, I should check in with him too." Naminé added in.

"Okay then!" Kairi began tapping the touchscreen and brought up the coordinates for Twilight Town, smiling with accomplishment as she locked it in. "To Twilight Town!" She pressed down on the purple "WARP" button. "Here we GOOOOOOOOO!"

Just as it was meant to, the Warp-G sent the ship soaring at unbelievable speeds, causing the girls to experience some of the most powerful G-forces in their entire lives. For a second there, they thought they entered an entirely different dimension. It was almost a dimension that only one who was under some of the largest doses of the most powerful medication could imagine in their minds. It was like travelling through a kaleidoscope, only it was more disorienting because of the speed the ship was travelling. Despite feeling like they had an out-of-body experience, the ship suddenly arrived right at the edge of Twilight Town, saving a lot of time, and also leaving three young girls feeling dizzy, nauseous, and wanting to get off the ship as soon as they could.

Twilight Town was still the same as it was a few weeks prior when Kairi and Xion were last there. Naminé smiled widely and took a look around. The last time she was here was when she was helping Roxas and Xion study their memories, hoping they would connect to Sora's location. She loved it here and was glad to be back in Twilight Town. Xion sighed blissfully as she breathed in the fresh autumn air. It truly felt good to be home, even with how much she was enjoying the journey with Kairi and Naminé. Kairi was also happy to be back in Twilight Town. It never failed to provide comfort for her when she needed it most.

"Chip and Dale said Merlin's at the bistro. If you guys wanna go do your own thing, I'll catch up with you two later?" Kairi suggested, feeling like the other two wouldn't feel like visiting with Merlin.

Xion nodded. "Sure, give us a call when you finish up! Come on, Naminé. Let's go find the guys and catch up with 'em"

"Okay, see you guys!" Kairi waved as she parted ways with Xion and Naminé. She looked over her shoulder at Chirithy, who popped onto her shoulder. "What're you gonna do, Chirithy?"

"I'll tag along. There's nothing here for me to really do." He answered with a shrug. "Besides, it gets kinda lonely when you're by yourself long enough."

"I get the feeling, trust me. But wait, I thought you had Ven to keep you company."

Chirithy sighed. "I do. We've been friends for a really long time. But, things are definitely different now than they were before."

"How so?"

"Have you ever had someone special to you lose their memory of you?"

Kairi stopped in her tracks, nodding slowly. "Yes, I have...and in return, I lost my memory of him too. It wasn't until he remembered me that I started to remember him too."

"It's not a good feeling at all." Chirthy frowned while shaking his head.

"But Ven remembers you now, right?" She asked with hope in her voice.

"He remembers me, but...there's a lot he has forgotten about his past. There's a lot he has yet to remember."

"I guess we have something in common. It's like when I lost my home, my family, I lost my memory with it too, but it's starting to come back to me, little by little. I wonder if maybe it's because my heart is trying to reconnect with my past. You know what I mean?" Kairi asked as she continued walking across the street.

"Yeah, but let me tell you, there's a lot more to Ven's past than you think. So much so, you can write an entire encyclopedia on it and it would still make your head spin!" Chirithy explained as he bounced up and spun before getting dizzy.

Kairi laughed and held him close. "Well, I'm sure his memory will come back to him sooner or later. It's gotta. Naminé said that memories may be forgotten sometimes, but they're never truly lost."

"I hope you're right…" Chirithy muttered to himself.

As Kairi walked down the sidewalk toward the tram common area, she looked ahead and noticed a white blur running toward her. Her eyes focused and the sound of barks finally made her realize it was a dog running toward her. The dog looked like he was in a hurry, yet at the same time, he looked like he was having the time of his life, running around and playing. Kairi's first instinct was that the dog possibly belonged to someone, so she decided to try and catch him. Chirithy, being a feline-based dream eater, decided to excuse himself and poofed back into her hood.

"Whoa!" Kairi held her arms out to catch the dog. "Hey there boy!" She knelt down to his level and began scratching the sides of his face. He wagged his tail and panted with pleasure. "So, where's your owner...Bolt?" She read out the nametag on the brown collar.

"Bolt!"

The sound of a young girl's voice caught Kairi's attention. She looked up and noticed a girl that was about 12-13 years old running after the dog. She chuckled at the fact that this girl was also a redhead. Kairi didn't know too many fellow redheads other than Axel, so she always had a soft spot for them. The girl finally caught up the dog and wiped her sweaty brow, relieved that Kairi had caught the dog, whom was referred to as 'Bolt'.

"Sorry about that. He got a little excited when he stole this old man's cane." She apologized as she gripped the back of Bolt's collar.

Kairi laughed. "That's okay. I love dogs. He seems like a friendly guy. So, you're Bolt's owner?"

"Yep. My name's Penny. What's yours?" The girl held out her hand, introducing herself.

"Kairi!" The two shook hands. She held out her hand to Bolt. "Can you shake, boy?" Bolt sat and placed his paw in Kairi's hand. "Good boy! So smart!"

"He really is my good boy." Penny cooed as she kissed Bolt on the top of the head. "Now, I'd better...get this…" She pulled at the wooden stick and got it out of Bolt's mouth. "I'd better get this back to the old man before he-"

"There you are!"

Kairi gasped as she saw a big puff of blue smoke appear before hers and Penny's eyes. From the smoke emerged a figure that she couldn't ever forget nor mistake for another. It was none other than Merlin, the wizard that spent months training her and Axel when they were preparing for the battle against Xehanort. Penny also found her eyes widened and her jaw hanging open, as was Bolt's, except with more tongue.

"I'm so sorry!" Penny apologized as she wiped the drool off of the sick and handed it back to him.

"This is no toy, you rascal! This happens to be what I use to cast magic spells! After all I'm-"

"Merlin, the worlds' most powerful wizard!" Kairi finished for him.

Merlin chuckled with amusement. "Well, I see one of my star pupils sure hasn't forgotten!"

Penny crossed her arms. "So it wasn't a goofy costume after all, then."

"Nope. Merlin knows some really powerful magic. He taught me some stuff too." Kairi summoned her Keyblade and cast a fire spell on a street lamp that burned out.

"Wow…" Penny gazed with amusement at both Kairi's magic and the Keyblade. "You also have one of those giant keys too. I've seen a few of those." She looked down at Bolt, who was also staring with amusement at Kairi's Keyblade. "Hey Bolt! Maybe one day, we can wield one of those!"

"Well, wielding a Keyblade is serious business, but…" She placed a hand on Penny's shoulder and gave her a confident smile. "Work hard and have a strong heart, and you just may become a wielder one day."

Penny smiled warmly at Kairi and nodded with confidence. "I will! Come on, Bolt! Let's go train!"

Bolt barked and followed Penny as she ran off in the direction of the park. Kairi laughed as she watched them. It was a sight she often pictured in her mind and thought of when it came to living a simple, yet happy life. Despite where destiny had led her to so far, Kairi couldn't help but wonder if she would ever return to living a normal life like she had growing up on the islands. True, the life of adventure was thrilling, but there was always something about having a daily routine that she enjoyed.

"Quite a spirited youth. You seem to have that effect, my dear." Merlin pointed out as the two of them began heading towards the bistro.

Kairi nodded, placing a hand over her heart. "I only share with them what I believe in my heart."

"Well, let's go for tea. I can't keep my other guest waiting for too long."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

"I wonder where Roxas is…" Xion muttered as they left the usual spot. "He wasn't at the usual spot, or the sandlot, and according to Axel's message to me, nobody's home either."

Naminé thought for a moment. "What about the old mansion?"

Xion nodded in agreement. She knew there were only a few places where she would typically find Roxas and Axel, thus only leaving the clock tower or the old mansion. They chose to check the mansion first having decided they didn't want to waste the trip climbing all the way up to the clock tower only for Roxas to not be there. Having cut through the sandlot for a second time, and while two young boys were training for Struggle, this time, the girls managed to spot Roxas ahead of them. Xion smiled widely as she caught sight of him. Her eyes sparkled as she began waving her arms.

"Hey! Roxas!" Xion called out before running toward him.

Roxas stopped in his tracks and looked back. "Xion?" He smiled widely at the sight of her. "Xion! You're ba-whoa!" He grunted from the impact of Xion throwing her arms around him, nearly falling backwards from the weight of her body crashing against him.

"I've missed you!" She softly said while burying her face into his shoulder.

"I...I missed you too." He muttered softly as he returned the hug. The two of them held each other for a moment, feeling so relieved that the two of them were still safe despite the dangers that had beheld both of them. Naminé kept to herself. As happy as she was to see Roxas too, she knew this was his and Xion's time.

Xion laughed as she broke the hug. "So much has happened!" 

"I believe it, and hey, new clothes?"

"Yeah...Master Yen Sid said they protect us from the darkness when traversing the worlds." She rotated around and allowed Roxas to have a complete look at her. "It's different from what I usually wear, but it's comfortable."

"I like it, you...you look good." Roxas complimented while scratching the back of his head. He looked past Xion and noticed Naminé standing behind her giving them their space. "N-Naminé?" He muttered. "Is that you?"

"Hello, Roxas." Naminé smiled sweetly and waved.

"Wow." Roxas walked over to her. "New clothes too? You also...pulled your hair back."

"Yep, and look at this." She held her hand out and summoned her Keyblade. "I've learned how to wield a Keyblade."

"I gotta say, the Keyblade looks great." He complimented. "I'm sure you do well with it."

"So, where are you headed to?" Xion asked.

"Well, I was heading down to the mansion. You wanna see what we're working on?"

Naminé and Xion agreed to go with Roxas down to the mansion, and not just for the sake of spending more time with him, but they were actually curious about what was going on since none of their friends seemed to be around. After taking the trail through the woods, the mansion came into view. Naminé softly gasped as she gazed at the aged building. Much like the town, it had been a long time since Naminé had been in this mansion. If she could be honest, it was a place that she preferred to not step foot into anymore considering everything that went down in there the previous year. Yet, she followed Roxas and Xion.

The computer was still in the same place Naminé had remembered. The only difference was that Ansem hardly ever used this one now and relied mostly on his computer back in Radiant Garden. Roxas led the girls down to the basement where they found Riku, hanging off to the side while Pence was sitting at the actual computer, resting his head on his arm. The screens had a great big loading screen with a bar that turning from black to green, inch by inch, at a very miniscule pace. When everyone approached Pence, he looked like he some of the biggest bags under his bloodshot eyes. He almost looked sick.

"Pence! You okay?" Roxas asked.

Riku chuckled with amusement. "He's exhausted."

"Wha...no I'm not…" Pence rolled his eyes and waved them off.

"What's going on here?" Xion asked after laughing.

"Didn't Kairi tell you?" Riku asked, the girls shaking their heads in response. "Well, can't say I'm surprised. She didn't seem on board with the idea either, but we're gonna go through it as a backup plan." He brought the girls closer to the computer and pointed to the screen. "Ienzo and Even are planning to restore Sora through the replica process."

"A REPLICA?" Naminé and Xion asked in unison.

Pence groaned as he held his head. "Guys...not so loud…"

"But wait, you're talking about restoring Sora the same way Naminé, Roxas, and I were?" Xion asked for clarification.

Roxas nodded as he rested a hand over his chest. "We're all working to rebuild Sora's heart from the data saved on Ansem's computer, but the problem is that the data on his original machine was deleted, so Ienzo needs us to transfer all of Sora's data onto a disc that Riku's gonna deliver to Radiant Garden."

"And Kairi's on board with this?" Naminé asked with a slight frown, unsure about how to feel it herself.

"Well...she's...not exactly, but like I said, this isn't our first option. Ienzo still wants you three to keep looking for the seashell pieces and we'll use the replica as a final resort option." Riku explained.

Just in the nick of time, Hayner entered the computer room along with Olette. "Hey! Look who's back!" He greeted Xion.

"Hayner! Olette!" She greeted them back. "We're just checking in with everyone. Riku and Roxas just told us about the replica project you are working on."

Olette nodded and smiled. "Yep. Poor Pence over there has refused to leave that computer. He's the most tech savvy out of all of us and is too afraid of something happening to leave it unattended or with either of us."

Hayner smacked Pence on his back a little too hard. "What a trooper."

"Can you not?" He asked after snorting, almost as if he were snoozing.

"Pence, you look wiped out. Go get some rest, we'll keep an eye on it." Roxas suggested.

"No, I'm fine."

"But it's almost done and-" Riku pointed out.

"Exactly!" Pence cut him off. "Look, I appreciate the help from you guys, but we're at 95% right now. Just a couple more hours and then I can sleep until my heart's content. But right now, there are too many of you here in the room, so please...get out...most of you."

Olette shared a concerned look with Hayner before she began waving out everyone else. "We'll take it from here with looking out for Pence. You guys have all done great."

"You sure?" Roxas asked, earning nods from Hayner and Olette. "Alright. Well, let's get out of here, guys." He said to Riku and the girls.

With Hayner and Olette staying behind with Pence, this left for Riku, Roxas, Xion, and Naminé to do whatever they wanted until Kairi was finished meeting up with Merlin. Xion suggested to Roxas that they go visit Axel at work since she wasn't sure how long they were going to be in Twilight Town before having to leave again. Roxas agreed, leaving him and Xion to part ways with Riku and Naminé, who were about as quiet as they could be. It seemed rather typical for the two of them to not have much to say. Then again, Riku had already proven time and time again that he wasn't the smoothest when it came to small talk with girls, and it only got worse for him if he was attracted to them.

Keeping the outing traditional, Riku and Naminé wandered down the streets of the town. It seemed that walking and sightseeing was something they did a lot since Riku started visiting her at Radiant Garden every now and then during the weekends. Neither of them minded though. The two of them preferred quieter places and not ones that were jam-packed with people and whatever else was happening. Despite Naminé not minding and just enjoying Riku's company, he still couldn't help but feel like it was too quiet whenever they went too long without speaking.

"So, where's Kairi at?" Riku asked, breaking the silence.

"She went to meet Merlin at the bistro. You already asked that." Naminé answered with a laugh.

"Right…I did say that already."

Out of the corner of her eye, Naminé noticed a kid dropped their melty ice cream. With a soft chuckle, she summoned her Keyblade and cast a small Blizzard spell on it, causing it to float right back up to the child, completely fresh. The child simply laughed and hopped off enjoying his frozen treat, unbeknownst of the girl who saved it. "Good as new!"

Riku chuckled, softly smiling. "Hey, you got pretty good." He found his throat suddenly dry as Naminé laughed with flattery. "You know, with your magic, I mean." He stammered.

"I know, thank you. Aerith taught me some stuff at Radiant Garden too."

"Glad that Leon, Yuffie, and Aerith could help you girls out. They gave me a place to stay when the king and I visited there, retracing Aqua's steps."

Naminé tilted her head to the side and rested a hand under her chin. "Oh! Where's King Mickey now? I thought he was with you."

"I told him to go check in with Donald, Goofy, and Queen Minnie, if he wanted to. I figured the rest of us had everything under control here. Nothing too crazy around here, except for Hayner getting beaten up by Seifer's gang, as usual." Riku chuckled at his own sarcastic remark.

"Well, thank you for your help. We couldn't do this without you."

"I don't know about that." He sighed as he shoved his hands in his pockets. "It's crazy, in the span of two years, it seems like Kairi has changed so much to the point where she doesn't need me anymore."

Naminé furrowed her eyebrows as she reached forward and touched his arm. "You shouldn't say stuff like that. You and I both know Kairi cares about you, a lot."

"I know she cares, that's not the point. The point is that...that...I don't know." Riku shook his head and turned away. "I'm...confusing myself right now."

In her heart, Naminé's first instinct was to try and argue with Riku that he was wrong, but knew that wouldn't get him anywhere. She had spent enough time with Riku during that year of restoring Sora's memories that she almost figured out how to reach him, even through his darkness. She reached out and rested a hand on the back of his shoulder, reminding him that she was there. Naminé felt Riku breathe deeply. She could tell he was always at peace when she was around. He remembered when he had given into the darkness, she looked past it and only saw him, not Ansem. She was always there.

"You know Riku, when you've been alone for such a long time, sometimes you get so used to it…" Naminé softly said as she walked ahead of Riku. "But then...it's amazing how one person can change all of that. You often feel confused because you don't know who needs the other person more." She laughed before looking back at him, her ponytail swishing in the wind. "But, at the end, it doesn't matter in the end, because it's about the light the connects hearts together, right?"

Riku snickered before running a hand through his hair. "How did we get here this quick?"

"Here?"

"You know, having deep conversations and whatnot? The times we've spent together recently, we could barely get past small talk."

"I'm just speaking from the heart, that's all." She said with a shrug.

"Right, I see what you mean."

Riku shared a sincere smile with Naminé before she turned and continued ahead. There were times where he couldn't understand her no matter how hard he tried, but in the best way possible. He didn't always know what she was thinking, but that only kept him on his toes. It kept him curious and drawn to her. Riku watched as Naminé brushed her fingertips along some white flowers in a pot. He knew she carried as much baggage as he did and yet, he had to question just how she was able to move on. That is, if she was true about her feelings, or if she was putting on a brave face for the rest of her friends, just like he did for Kairi.

Naminé waited for Riku to catch up before they turned around a corner and came across a group of shops. It was a trio, specifically. The shops were run by three brothers. One of them was focused on selling art supplies, one was focused on photography, and the last one was one focused on music. Despite Naminé being an artist, she was drawn to the music shop the most. She jogged over to the building and looked inside the window that contained numerous instruments on display such as flutes, clarinets, violins, and guitars. There was even a large piano inside.

"Aww, what a cute little store!" Naminé giggled. "Come on! Let's go in!"

Riku stumbled in as Naminé pulled him in by the hand. "Uh...I don't remember you knowing how to play a musical instrument."

"I can't, but I still appreciate them. I love going into town in Radiant Garden and watching the live musicians play. Sometimes, I'll sketch them!"

Riku felt his face heat up as he noticed Naminé not letting go of his hand. He didn't want to think too far into it and hoped the instruments would distract him enough, but they didn't. It wasn't until the piano grabbed her attention that she finally let go, giving him some peace of mind, not that he necessarily minded, he just didn't know what to make of it. Riku shoved his hands in his pockets and browsed the shop, greeting the owner as he appeared from behind the counter. He laughed as Naminé pressed a few of the piano keys before a particular one caught his eye, a violin that was hanging up right above him.

"Hmmm...this is a beautiful instrument right here." Riku softly muttered as he ran his fingertips along the violin.

Naminé gasped as she hopped in pace. "I _love _the violin! When the musicians play faster and the locals start dancing, it's an amazing sight!"

"Do you ever dance?"

"Oh no, I have two left feet! I've always wanted to learn though! I've also always wanted to sing too. Kairi and Xion both have beautiful voices." She laughed sheepishly and brushed some hair behind her ear. "But...I guess I can't be talented at everything, right? I'm okay just being an artist."

"Hmm, well, why don't we test that out then?" Riku asked with a smirk. Naminé softly gasped before watching him grab the attention of the shop owner. "Could I test out this violin, please?"

"Certainly!" The shop owner took the violin before leading Riku and Naminé to a see through room in the back of the store. "Here, you can test it out in here where it's quiet." He offered while he opened the door.

Riku nodded as he cradled the violin. "Thanks, come on, Naminé."

"Uh…" She stepped in and twiddled her hands as the shop owner shut the door behind them. "What are we doing in here exactly?"

"Naminé, there's a secret that not many know about me." Riku explained as he began tuning the instrument. "When I was younger, I took violin lessons. Sora and Kairi also learned to play instruments. All of our parents insisted on it. So, Kairi learned the piano, Sora learned the ukulele, and I learned the violin, just like my dad and grandad."

"Oh wow! How come you never tell anyone?"

"Well, it's been a while-and by a while, I mean a few years-since I last played. I'm probably rusty." He held the violin and place and began playing some warmup notes that...actually sounded pretty good.

Naminé laughed and sat on a table, letting her legs dangle. "Sounds like a good start! Do you know any songs still?"

Riku thought for a moment before smiling fondly. "Actually the first songs I learned were some… good ol' sailor tunes that I used to sing with me mates as we sailed o'er the high seas." He finished off in a sailor accent.

"Was that supposed to be a sailor's accent?" She asked, laughing.

"I know, it's not as effective as it was when I was five." He laughed with her. "But, I'm pretty sure I still know them. If I play them, you're gonna sing the words, right?"

"Uh...what?" Naminé stammered as her face began glowing pink. "I...probably won't know any of these songs." 

"You should. You learned these during our childhood, remember?"

"Oh…" She thought back to her time in Castle Oblivion when she had written all of the false memories between her and Riku during their childhood. "Well...I…I guess I could try."

Riku took Naminé by the hand and helped her off the table before placing the violin back in position "This should be an easy one. This one was your favorite." He silently counted himself down before he put the bow to the strings and began playing Sailor's Hornpipe, one of many famous sailor songs the islanders always sang. Naminé smiled and watched the intense movements of Riku's hands as they flawlessly tapped the strings at the end as well as well as sliding the bow back and forth. His eyes shut as he got lost in the music and concentrated on keeping in tune.

"Riku! This is beautiful!" She praised him. "I do know this song! The Sailor's Hornpipe! You sang this all the time when you and Sora used to have your own pretend ship!"

"Okay, your cue." He said opening his eyes.

Naminé bit down on her lip before placing her hands against her chest. "Okay, here I go." She took in a deep breath. _"O a sailor's life is the life for me, How I love to sail on the boundin' sea, And I never never ever do a thing 'bout the weather for the weather never ever does a thing for me!" _She sang, bursting out laughing at the end. "That last part is so fast!"

"You were perfect! Do it again!" Riku laughed as he continued playing.

Able to hear Riku and Naminé from outside the room, the shop owner chuckled. The two of them were in perfect tune between Riku's beautiful playing and Naminé's angelic voice. The fact that they were enjoying themselves also helped. Riku even started playing just random notes while Naminé made up words along the way. It became just a fun time to unwind, something they both needed. Even if this wasn't their first time being together, it was the first time where the two of them just put aside any emotional baggage that either of them were carrying and just enjoyed the moment and each other's company without anyone else around.

Riku returned the violin to the owner after he and Naminé finished playing. Naminé was getting rather hungry and asked about ice cream, to which, how could Riku even say no? He was a fan of the stuff himself. Sharing a good laugh, he let Naminé lead the way down to the ice cream shop, but stopped in his tracks. There was a sudden unpleasant stench in the air. It was very familiar to Riku, but wasn't sure if he could pinpoint whether it was what he thought it was. The air suddenly started to feel thick around him as a booming echo seemed to surround him. He jerked his head around, trying to find the source that still remained a mystery despite this being the second occurrence since the one in the Keyblade Graveyard.

**You do not yet know what lies within your heart. You will know soon enough. **

The voice echoed in Riku's mind again. He knew exactly who this voice belonged to, but forced himself to not think about it, fearful of it becoming worse than it is. Riku shook his head and finally jogged ahead to catch up with Naminé, who stopped to wait for him.

**Believe what you will. The heart does not lie.**

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Back in the tram common, Kairi accompanied Merlin to the bistro. It was quite busy at the restaurant, which she knew would be great for Scrooge. He was always looking for ways to bring in more customers despite how popular the place already was. It had already grown in popularity thanks to the souffles Kairi had made when she worked there for one day. Scrooge and Little Chef ended up adding it to the menu and their desserts were now doing better than they were once before. She was excited, not just for the fact that her recipe was used, but for Little Chef having a successful career in a restaurant like he always wanted.

At one of the outdoor tables, Kairi looked ahead and noticed that the other guest that Merlin was referring to was none other than Tiana. She was making herself a cup of tea and also had a large plate of what looked like pastries with powdered sugar on them. They also smelled like they were freshly cookies. It started to make Kairi's mouth water thanks to her appetite. It had been a while since she had home cooked food that wasn't cooked over a campfire.

"Tiana!" Kairi greeted with enthusiasm.

"Kairi! Hello, sugar! You're lookin' better than ever." She smiled back as Kairi took a seat next to her.

"How'd you two know each other?"

Merlin sighed happily as he picked up what looked like a pastry with powdered sugar on top. "Have you not tried this young lady's beignets? They are like magic!" He munched on the pastry with pleasure.

"I've never heard of them." Kairi reached for a beignet and took a small bite, getting powdered sugar on her lips. "Hey! These are phenomenal! You're gonna have to teach me how to make these! I know a boy who has a big sweet tooth! Sora would love these!"

Tiana laughed. "Come on down to my restaurant at the other side of town and I'll show you."

"Oh yes...speaking of Sora…" Merlin took a sip of tea and straightened his beard. "I received word from Riku and King Mickey that you were on a journey to try and find him, yes?"

Kairi nodded, taking Merlin's words to heart. "Yes. It hasn't been easy, but I'm keeping at it."

"That's how it's done, hard work." Tiana encouraged as she placed a hand on Kairi's shoulder.

"Absolutely right, my dear. Speaking of which, have you been keeping up with your training?"

Kairi nearly choked on her tea. "I'm afraid not. Well, actually. Now that you're here, there's something I had been meaning to ask you." She cleared her throat and straightened herself up. "Merlin, you're not a Keyblade wielder, you're a powerful magic user. I feel like my skills on the battlefield months ago reflected that. Why did you want to train me so badly knowing that I need to be trained on more than just magic?"

Merlin sighed. "Well, I suppose I was going to have to tell you sooner or later. I was just hoping it wouldn't be because I failed you, and for that, I'm sorry." Kairi's face loosened up as she noticed the disappointment in Merlin's face. "I'm sorry, Youko, I failed you too."

"Wait, Youko?" She softly gasped. "As in...my grandmother, Youko?"

"Yes, my dear. You see, your grandmother and I were comrades back in our younger years. Quite a fiery spirit, she had. I see you've inherited it from her." Merlin chuckled.

"But what does this have to do with my grandmother?"

"You see Kairi, your grandmother had a lot on her plate after you were born. As a scholar, I knew raising a child wasn't easy. Granted, I never raised children myself, but as a teacher, I had an idea of what being around a child was like." He sipped his tea before folding his hands. "The reason why I wanted to train you was because your grandmother asked me to."

"She did?" Kairi hopped from her seat. "Is she alive? Where is she?"

"There! There! I haven't seen your grandmother in over ten years, since Radiant Garden fell to darkness, so I'm not sure, but back when you were just a wee little lass, your grandmother specifically said that if you chose to go down the path of the Keyblade wielder, she wanted me to train you."

"Oh…" She sat back down and rested her chin on her arms.. "I'm sorry. I'm just frustrated. I feel like if I was better trained, or if I was just better in general, I could've done more in the battle, and Sora wouldn't have had to sacrifice himself for me." 

"Now Kairi, I understand your guilt, but also have to give yourself some credit. Even with training, you were fighting alongside comrades and against enemies that have had years worth of experience fighting. You've got a lot to work for now, more than ever! You can't go down, you can only go up from here!" Merlin encouraged.

Tiana looked over at Kairi sympathetically and rested a hand on her back. "Sugar, we all have those moments where we wonder what we could've done differently to change the outcome of our life's situations, but instead, you gotta think that when you hit the bottom, the only way left is up. With each step you take, you're getting closer to what you need."

"You think?"

Merlin nodded. "I know. I've _seen _miracles happen and let me tell you, all hope is not lost! All you gotta do is use your head and your heart!" He said as he tapped Kairi on the head with his cane.

Kairi sighed and smiled as she sat back up, rubbing her noggin. "That's the plan."

"That's the spirit! But, in the meantime," Merlin tapped his bag before it opened up and a book levitated up onto the table. "I have something for you."

"A book?"

Kairi took the book and held it in her hands. She noticed the cover that looked like it was a hand-drawn and painted. It was a picture of a yellow bear sitting on a log looking up at the starlit sky. There was a warmth the began to build up in her heart. It was the same feeling she'd have as a child whenever either of her parents read her a bedtime story. Kairi could even remember this exact same feeling whenever her grandmother also read to her in the palace library. There was something...familiar about this book. The bear was indeed cute and had appeal. Kairi's eyes glazed slightly over and she noticed that there was a boy sitting on the log next to the bear, but it wasn't just any boy, it was Sora.

"Winnie the Pooh? Sora's on it, but...how…?" She read.

"This is no ordinary book. Inside this book is an entire world that belongs to Winnie the Pooh and his friends."

"I know…" Kairi muttered to herself. _But...why does this look so...familiar?_

Merlin rested his hand on top of the book. "Sora's connection to his friends inside that book was a powerful one. I thought it might be helpful in your quest, but that's only one reason why I'm giving this to you."

"What's the other reason?"

"Why don't you find out for yourself?" Merlin chuckled.

"Well, it was lovely seeing y'all. I better get back to my restaurant across town." Tiana waved as she bid farewell and began walking in the direction toward the other side of town.

"Oh yes, my dear! I'd better be going myself!"

"You're going so soon, Merlin?" Kairi asked as she cradled the book tightly.

"I'm afraid so." Merlin sighed as he picked up his bag. "I'm in the midst of trying to educate a young man right now. The poor lad thinks life is nothing more than slaving away at castle chores. But let me tell you something, this lad _will _be king, mark my words! It's up to me to teach him all that he needs to know! So, 'til next time...ALAKAZAM!" He held up his arms and disappeared into a large cloud of smoke.

Chirithy popped out once the smoke had cleared. "What a strange and quirky wizard…"

"I know, try having him tutor you." She chuckled with amusement "Now, about this book…"

"Didn't the old man say it was special or something?"

Kairi nodded. "Yeah, he said there was...a _world _inside of it?" She muttered as she stared down at the cover. "I'm almost afraid to open it. Who knows what could happen?"

"Here, I'll do it!" Chirithy took the book and opened up the front cover to reveal a map across the two sides. "Hmm...doesn't look like anything special here."

"It's a map. A map of the world?" She studied the map as she rested a hand under her chin. "Merlin told me to find out the other reason he gave me this book. I wonder…"

Kairi summoned her Keyblade and pointed it at the book. The tip began to glow as did the pages of the book. She suddenly began to feel weightless as she could feel her body leaving Twilight Town and travelling through a pillar of light into what could only be the world within this mysterious book.

**A/N: Okay, now that this is done, time to go sleep! *Passes out***


	30. A Sweet Surprise

**A/N: I know I just updated a couple days ago, but I've had this chapter actually 75% written for a good while now and was just waiting to get to this part of the fic before I could finish and upload it lol So congrats! You get two updates within a week!**

* * *

Chapter 30: A Sweet Surprise

Kairi suddenly found herself in a completely new world. It looked unlike any other world she had been in. It was bright, colorful, but also felt like being inside of an illustration. It reminded her of the books she used to look through as a young child. She always loved books that had beautifully drawn illustrations inside of them. The chilly wind blew through the trees, knocking a healthy amount of golden leaves off of them, indicating that it was autumn everywhere, and not just in Twilight Town or Destiny Islands. Kairi flinched as she felt a large red leaf land right on her face, obstructing her view. There was definitely a sense of familiarity in this weather and could recall actually having autumn like this during her childhood years, before arriving on the island.

Before removing the leaf, Kairi turned around, following the sound of a door shutting. She removed the leaf and was finally able to see the source of the noise. Right in front of a house that was located in the hollow of a tree that supposedly belonged to someone named "Mr. Sanders", a very familiar bear, specifically, the one that she saw on the book cover, sat on a lone log. He looked to be deep in thought as his face scrunched up and his paw tapped repeatedly against the side of his noggin. _Pooh Bear…? _Kairi thought to herself. She couldn't remember whether she even met this bear before and yet, she seemed to instantly know his name.

"Hello there!" Kairi greeted as she approached him.

Pooh bear looked up, a hopelessly confused look on his face. "Oh, hello there, Kairi. I don't suppose you've seen my friend?"

"W-Wait...you know my name?" She gasped, stepping back slightly.

"Of course, I could never forget you, Kairi." Pooh said with a warm smile. "But...you do look rather...different."

Kairi laughed sheepishly as she flicked her hair. "I guess it must have been a long time, huh?" _Did I know Pooh at some point? I don't remember reading his book back home on the island. I probably shouldn't stress about it too much. I'll just drive myself crazy if it doesn't come back to me. _"So, you're waiting for a friend?" She asked, changing the subject.

He looked towards a tree in front of his house. "Oh yes, he said he'd help me get some honey when he got back from...wherever he went."

"You said he went away?" She took a seat next to him.

"Yes, and my tumbly is oh-so-rumbly. I'm afraid I might forget him again."

Kairi frowned, while studying the bear's sad expression. "Your friend, was his name Sora?"

"Oh yes! And today is a good day for Sora to come back! It's autumn, and the leaves are flying away, getting ready for a perfect winter." Pooh said standing up and holding his arms out towards the golden-colored trees. He chuckled. "I even have a surprise for him!"

"Oh…"

Pooh turned and looked closer at Kairi. "Do you know a Sora too?"

"I-I do, and I think he's the same one you know."

"Oh, what a relief!" He wiped his brow before gasping. "If you saw a Sora that I know, then Sora must be coming back, just like you did! Oh, I _must _go tell our friends!"

Kairi watched as Pooh skipped from his house and down a path into the woods. "He doesn't know about Sora…" She slowly started following Pooh on the same path. "I'd better follow him. But...how does Pooh know my name? Did Sora mention me or something?"

Although she had no idea where Pooh was going, Kairi decided it was best to stick around with him considering she had no idea how to navigate this world. It was just one big forest and she was also by herself. Pooh took a lovely stroll along the path, a little skip and hop in his step. Kairi noticed that he seemed to stop a lot on his path and take in the little things that his world had to offer. Pooh noticed a trail of caterpillars, but with one trailing slower than the others. He chuckled and bent down, scooping the caterpillar onto his paw before setting it down at the front of the line. Kairi could only laugh. After all, she would've done the same thing.

Not much further down, Kairi and Pooh came upon another house within a tall tree that was accompanied by a sign that said "Trespasser's Will". She couldn't help but find it peculiar that everyone seemed to live in trees, but then again, they were all animals, so they had to live somewhere. Judging by the size of the door, Kairi could tell that this home belonged to a very small animal. She shivered as a gust of wind blew through the area, her hair flying all over her face. She looked ahead and saw Pooh staring up and a very scared little critter. He reached up as soon as he saw the wind was carrying his little friend.

"Piglet! Oh Piglet!" Pooh called out.

"P-P-Pooh! C-c-c-c-c-atch meeee!" Piglet cried as he blew farther away.

"Oh no! He's in trouble!" Kairi said as she jogged forward. She held out her arms as Piglet flew closer towards her, crying for help. Once she was close enough, she leapt up in the air and caught him in her arms. "There you go, little guy."

Piglet, who was curled up and shivering, looked up at Kairi, his scared expression softening. "Oh my...thank you. That was really k-k-kind of you, K-K-Kairi!"

"It was no biggie." Kairi laughed as she walked Piglet back over to his house.

Pooh smiled as he saw his rescued friend being set down on the ground. "Hello, Piglet! I see you found Kairi! It's been such a long time, hasn't it? You got taller. The last time you were here, we played Pooh Sticks. I...think, think, think…" He tapped his paw against the side of his head a few times. "I think you won."

Kairi giggled. "Wow, sounds like a fun game!"

Pooh chuckled. "Now, what was it I was going to tell Piglet?" He asked himself as he rested a paw under his chin.

"Oh, that's right." Kairi sighed. "Pooh, there's something you have to know about Sora…"

"What about Sora?" Piglet asked.

"That's it! Now I remember!" Pooh waddled over to and picked up Piglet. "Piglet, our friend Sora is…"

All three of them were interrupted by the sound of bouncing coming from down the trail. Kairi, who was the one closest to the trail, looked back and saw another friend of Pooh and Piglet's. He bounced off the trees like a pinball before howling in laughter. She watched in amazement as this particular friend, one she was already taking a liking to, continued to bounced towards her up until he tackled her, causing her to tumble backwards and have him land on top of her.

"Hello! My name's Tigger! T-I-double "guh"- ER, that spells Tigger!"

Kairi laughed. "Hey there, Tigger! I'm Kairi! K-A-I-R-I."

Tigger gasped as he bounced onto the ground. "Say! I like dis girl! She's already my kind of Tigger!" His expression suddenly grew serious as he straightened up. "Wait just a darn bouncin' minute! Where are my mannerisms! Dis is no way to treat a lovely lady!" Tigger cleared his throat and held his paw out for her. "My apologies, madam! My name is Tigger, and the pleasure is all mine!"

"It's okay, Tigger. Actually, you were perfect just the way you were." She said standing up from the ground, brushing the dirt off her clothes.

"Aww, stop it!" He laughed.

"Uh...Tigger, don't you recognize Kairi? She's one of our good friends!" Piglet asked.

Tigger gasped as he rubbed his eyes. "What's da matter with me? I hardly recognize ya!"

Kairi giggled as she hid her arms behind her back. "It's okay, Tigger. I have changed a lot."

"Oh Tigger! You bounced in at just the right time." Pooh said as he waved his paw.

"Did I now? Hoo! Hoo! Hoooooo! Well a Tigger always has perfect timin' when it comes to bouncin'!"

Piglet scurried closer to Tigger. "Pooh was just about to tell us something about Sora."

"Oh yes! Piglet, Tigger, Sora's coming home!"

Tigger gasped as he bounced in place. "My favoritest bouncerer is coming home?"

"That's exciting, I was wondering when we'd see Sora again." Piglet said smiling.

"Say…" Tigger said as he put a paw to his chin. "We gotta tell everybody! Come on! Let's go tell Long Ears! He'll be positoovely exciteded!

Kairi's smile faded as she reached out towards Pooh, Piglet, and Tigger, who had already begun their trek down another trail towards another friend's house. She sighed as she continued to follow not too closely behind. _I wonder how many other friends I'm gonna have to break the news to? Then again, Piglet and Tigger also know who I am. I wonder if this is what Merlin was talking about. I suppose having to share bad news with a few friends won't be the end of the world. Just how many more friends does Pooh really know?_

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

It appeared that Kairi's fear seemed to be coming true. She followed Pooh, Piglet, and Tigger on their little pilgrimage to spread the word of Sora's supposed return to everyone. By everyone, this meant _everyone_. The first stop was Kanga and Roo's house. Roo was outside playing with his friend Lumpy, a young purple heffalump. Kanga was rather thrilled with the news of Sora returning to the 100 Acre Wood while Roo and Lumpy were both bouncing over the moon. Kairi could only laugh sheepishly, wishing she be honest with them, but how could she? Everyone was so happy and it only grew more difficult when they travelled over to Eeyore's...house. The donkey was already the downer as it was, did Kairi really have the heart to make him feel worse than he already was?

"Sora's coming back!" Roo exclaimed, his bouncing getting bigger and bigger by the second on top of his purple elephant-like friend.

"I suppose it'll be nice to have company again." Eeyore sighed. "Not that it should really matter, I always get left out anyway...just like the last time."

Lumpy approached Pooh with Roo riding on top of him. "Pooh, are you sure Sora is really coming back?"

"Yes, he is! Kairi knows him, and she said she's seen him." He answered while looking back at Kairi, who did her best to stay out of the group's conversation.

Roo smiled widely. "I'm happy you came back, Kairi! I missed you!"

"I missed you too!" Lumpy said while wrapping his trunk around her hand. "I've been saving some of my strawberries for you. "

"Well, I do love strawberries! They're my favorite!" Kairi laughed as she knelt down to Lumpy and Roo's level.

"I know. I saved them because I hoped you would come back." The young heffalump softly said in a hopeful tone.

Roo laughed as he bounced up and down. "It's a good thing you did because she did! So, how do you know Sora?"

Kairi swallowed the lump that formed in her throat. "Well...he's someone very special to me, and…" She looked down at Pooh, who was looking up at her with innocent eyes. "Pooh, I need to tell you something about Sora."

"Is it something nice?"

"No, I'm afraid it's not." She shook her head, holding her head low.

"Then it can wait! Friends, we must let Rabbit know of this good news!" Pooh said as he began to waddle towards Rabbit's house with the rest of his friends behind him.

Kairi crossed her arms, looking down at the ground. "What good news? I never said anything about Sora coming back, did I?"

The last friend of Pooh's, a yellow rabbit named...Rabbit, was the one who seemed to have the most unique reaction out of everyone. Granted, the group didn't arrive at the most opportune time. Rabbit was running back and forth between his garden and his house, his arms loaded with various garden supplies such as trowels, shovels, and seeds. He looked about as stressed as Selphie did whenever she cram studied for exams. Rabbit didn't even notice that Kairi had shown up with the rest of the gang. She simply chuckled, actually having strange and vivid memories of Rabbit always being stressed out, not really knowing how to relax and have fun all the time. Tigger was finally able to get his attention and not only deliver the news that Sora was 'returning', but also that Kairi had arrived.

"Oh my! What?" Rabbit asked, his fur sticking up on his back. "We have company and nobody told me until now? I've got too much to do! It's harvest season!" He paced back and forth with a large book about harvesting. "I'm supposed to be picking pumpkins today and the last of the strawberries from the summer harvest!"

"Oh, Rabbit, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you were so busy. I'll...I'll go now." Kairi turned and began to walk out of Rabbit's house, feeling like she was intruding, and leaving the friends with confused looks on their faces.

"Kairi! Where are you going?" Lumpy asked.

Kairi brushed hair behind her ear. "I...I should probably get going."

"But you can't leave yet!" Roo pleaded.

"Oh Kairi, you don't have to leave. I'm...sorry." Rabbit apologized. "I...I overreacted. You haven't caused any harm. In fact, it's really nice to see you again." He greeted as he walked over and shook her hand.

"Besides, it wouldn't be right to have a party for Sora without all of Sora's very best friends, would it?" Pooh asked as ran his hands through his shirt. His tummy started rumbling only a mere second later. "Just like...it wouldn't be right to go through lunchtime without...honey."

"But Pooh, Sora is-" She stammered, trying to explain Sora's situation to him.

"-He's gonna so happy when he gets home!" Tigger bounced in, cutting her off. "This party is gonna be the biggest and bestest friend party we ever had!"

Eeyore sighed. "He always is the life of the party. At least he makes up for what I am not."

"P-p-please won't you stay, Kairi?" Piglet asked.

Kairi took a look around at all of the fuzzy friends that had pleading looks on their faces. How could she leave them all now? Having met every single one of them and experiencing strange flashbacks of this place the longer she was here, Kairi felt like there was more to her bond with Pooh and his friends than just an acquaintanceship. If anything, she also felt like she owed it to Sora to tell them what happened to him, but couldn't bring herself to deliver the bad news, not when their hopes were so high. At least, she couldn't say anything right now.

"Let's...make a party for Sora." Kairi answered softly.

Pooh, Tigger, and everyone else shared an enthusiastic 'hurray' while bouncing up and down. Kairi couldn't help but laugh. She had never had a group of friends get this excited over her choosing to stay with them. Then again, should she expect any less from what would arguably be the most innocent-looking critters she had ever met. Lumpy walked over and led Kairi by her hand into Rabbit's house. It was small, but she was also small enough to fit into it despite her concerns. The smell of fresh vegetables were enough to tickle her senses. It started to remind her of going into the Destiny Islands market with her mom since her family always bought their food organic and fresh.

"Okay everyone! I have here...a list!" Rabbit announced as opened a large sheet of paper and placed it on the table for everyone to see. "Here are the five keys needed for a successful party. We need decorations, dancing, a cake, presents, and games."

Roo tilted his head to the side. "Rabbit? That sounds like a birthday party."

"Yeah, I don't remember gettin' any presents at the last party I went to…." Tigger said in a bitter tone and with his arms crossed.

"How nice." Pooh chuckled. "It's a welcome home party and a birthday party for Sora!"

Kairi smiled sheepishly as she pressed a finger against her temple. "Uh...Rabbit, it's not Sora's birthday. Not for several months."

"Hmm…" Rabbit put a hand under his chin and observed his list. "Well...I guess you're right. We don't need the presents…"

"It's too bad, I already have a surprise for Sora." Pooh said with disappointment in his voice.

"Well...Pooh can give Sora his surprise." Rabbit said as he crossed off 'prezentss' from the list. "Now, there are FOUR keys to a successful party! I've divided up the responsibilities." He paced back and forth with his list in his face. "Roo, Lumpy, you can handle decorations."

Lumpy hopped in place, smiling widely. "We'll handle them!"

Tigger smiled as a brilliant idea popped in his mind. "Hmm...sounds like something a Tigger can do best! We'll have the place bouncin' in no time!"

Rabbit stammered as he looked over his list. "W-well Tigger...I was gonna have you do...but...I guess you can help with decorations in those high places." He looked over at Pooh and Piglet, who stood bouncing off the balls of their feet. "Pooh, Piglet, you both need to choreograph a dance!"

"C-c-c-c-choreo-what?" Piglet stuttered.

"You know, come up with a dance!"

Pooh tilted his head. "Hmm...this might take some...thinking." He muttered before his thinking was interrupted by a growling stomach. "And maybe...a smackerel or two of honey…"

"Kairi," Rabbit walked up to her. "You and I will take care of the cake!"

Kairi laughed as she rubbed her hands together. "Perfect! Baking is my specialty!"

"Wonderful! That leaves…" Rabbit looked towards Eeyore, who stood patiently waiting for his job. "Eeyore, think you can handle the games?"

Eeyore sighed heavily. "I'll make it easy for everyone…" He dragged his feet across the house and over towards a wall. "I'll volunteer to be the donkey you all pin the tail on."

Kairi bit down on her lip, feeling sorry for the depressed donkey. She leaned down towards Rabbit and whispered to him. "I'll help him out after we get the cake going."

"Great! Okay everyone has their jobs! Now, let's get to work and throw the biggest party the 100 Acre Wood has ever seen!"

Leaving the rest of the gang to begin on their party preparation duties, Kairi followed Rabbit out of his house and toward the garden. She smiled widely and nodded, impressed by his work. She had a soft spot for gardens and definitely wanted one when she got older and had her own home.

"Now, I have most of the ingredients for a cake, but I do need some fruit to give it a refreshing taste and feel." Rabbit said as his eyes scanned his garden.

Kairi nodded in agreement. "Back at home, a lot of my island's people use fruit in our desserts."

"Hmmm...but now the question is what should we use…?"

"Well…" Kairi's eyes scanned the garden until she came across the strawberries. "Oh! Strawberries! We can make a giant strawberry shortcake!"

"Oh, that sounds lovely!"

"Yeah…" She smiled as she looked up to the sky, allowing fond memories to pass through her mind. "I remember, with my mom's help, I baked Sora a strawberry shortcake for his 10th birthday. He loved it so much that for every birthday following that, I've always baked him a strawberry shortcake."

Rabbit grabbed a nearby basket. "Well, then I say we start picking!" He led Kairi over to the strawberries and began picking them only to be horrified by an oncoming sight. "AHHH! Not those pesky bugs!" He shrieked at the sight of the small green vermin. "They're always coming after my fruit and eating it before I have a chance to pick it! Just look at some of my carrots over there!"

Kairi looked over and gritted her teeth at the sight of half-eaten carrots that were left in a pile. "Don't worry, Rabbit!" She stepped in front of him, Keyblade ready. "If they come anywhere near here, they're toast!"

"Thank you!"

The bugs weren't afraid of Kairi and decided they were going to try and take her head-on. Her eyes narrowed in on the one with the general's hat that was obviously the leader. She was one who loved animals, but if there was one species she didn't show mercy on, it was insects. Living on an island where she was constantly eaten alive by mosquitoes during the summertime, Kairi had developed a distaste for bugs. Seeing as how these were bugs that she had never seen before, she could only hope and pray that these bugs were easy to get rid of and weren't like the hellspawn vermin that were cockroaches.

Kairi stomped her foot hard on the ground, hoping to shake it enough that the bugs would lose their balance and fall off their feet, giving her ample opportunity to swat them away. Unfortunately, stomping her foot only made it worse as the bug scattered about. Rabbit shrieked as he saw the bugs approaching him and his strawberries. Kairi was on it though, and swatted them away. The general was stubborn and quick though. He stuck his tongue out at Kairi before scurrying about right by her feet, leaving her feeling like she was trolled by the little jerk. She grunted as the bug grabbed a strawberry and escaped with the rest of the colony. _Stupid bugs...you got away this time._

"Okay, this should be enough." Rabbit said placing the heavy basket right down.

Kairi smiled widely. "Good work, Rabbit!"

"Oh, but thank you for keeping those bugs away! Not only do I have enough for Sora's cake, but I have managed to pick every single one of these except for that one...but plenty for the fall!" He picked the basket back up and carried it into the house. "Okay, everything is here!" Rabbit showed all the ingredients across his kitchen counter. "Now, let's get to making this cake!"

"I'm on it, Rabbit!"

Kairi gave her fingers a good crack before getting to work. She had her famous strawberry shortcake recipe memorized to a T and didn't even bother with a cookbook. Rabbit was rather concerned at first and began to question if she was as good at baking as she claimed she was, but after a quick taste of the batter Kairi mixed up, he decided to take a back seat and watch her work her magic. She mixed the flower, the sugar, the eggs, the water, everything into the large bowl before mixing it an incredibly fast pace. Rabbit watched with admiration. He had never seen anyone work as well as her. She even managed to pour the batter into pans without spilling a single drop of it.

"Well, everything seems to be mixed up and ready for baking!" Kairi said as she picked up the pans and set them inside the oven.

Rabbit nodded as he shut the oven. "Now, it's set."

"You take a break. I'm gonna see how the others are doing and see if I can help them out."

While helping clean Rabbit's kitchen, Kairi looked to the side and noticed Lumpy was working on balloons. They were definitely coming along, but it seemed like it was a slow and steady process, especially since he was the only one blowing all of them up. She set aside Rabbit's mop and stopped cleaning to go see if the little guy could use some help.

"How are the balloons coming, Lumpy?" Kairi asked.

Lumpy sighed. "I like blowing balloons, but there's just so many!"

"Awww, here." She took a sat next to the young heffalump and picked up a balloon. "Let me help you out."

"Thank you!" Lumpy smiled widely as he took another balloon and blew air from his trunk into it, making a small trumpet sound and eliciting laughter from Kairi. "Excuse me…"

"That's okay, it's cute!" She watched as Roo bounced in place, struggling to place some streamers in a higher place. "You need some help there, Roo?" She asked as she picked him up and raised him higher.

Roo giggled as he threw the streamers around. "Thank you!"

Kairi took some streamers and looked around the room. "Well...we do have plenty of these...near the ground. But we've got plenty to cover above, but it's still a little high up, even for a tall human like myself."

"Do I hear a plea for some bouncin'?" Tigger asked as he bounced in from out of nowhere.

"Oh Tigger, I'm only trying to figure out how to...wait, you want me to _bounce _these up?" She asked, her eyes widening.

"Why, bouncin' is the _only _way to hang these little buddies up! Hoo Hoo Hooooo!" He hollered before he began bouncing off the walls, hanging streamers in the process.

Kairi laughed sheepishly and brushed a hand through her hair. "Uh...Tigger. I'm not sure I can really bounce now. I'm too...tall."

Tigger gasped before he took both of her hands in his. "Sure you can! Come on! Try it! You were good at bouncin' when you were smaller too!"

"Uh...okay." While holding hands with Tigger, Kairi began bouncing along with him in place. She suddenly found herself smiling and laughing with the others. "Wow, this is...fun!"

"It makes you feel so grrrrrrrrreat!"

The more Kairi bounced, the more airtime she was catching. It was a thrilling feeling she always enjoyed for as long as she could remember. As a little girl who had dreams of flying, she was always bouncing off of everything, hoping that one day she would just stay in the air and never come down. While bouncing and flying were completely different, for a little girl, it was plenty. This time was no different. Kairi shut her eyes and felt her five-year-old self again. She was laughing and bouncing with Tigger, her favorite pastime in the 100 Acre Wood. Kairi hopped onto a chair and bounced off of it, throwing some streamers up high close to the ceiling. Tigger even stretched out Rabbit's tablecloth, giving her a bit of an extra spring in her next bounce.

"Wow! That was great! I remember loving that!" Kairi laughed. She suddenly stopped and gasped at the realization of what she had said. _I...remember...Tigger and I, we bounced the stepping stones across the lake. We bounced everywhere. _She thought to herself. "I think I tried this one bounce you tried to teach me. It was...oh, what was it called? The…" She struggled to remember. "The...super duper...looper hooper...ooper whooper...what was that bounce called again?"

Tigger chuckled proudly. "Why this bounce, my dear, is called the Whoop De Dooper Loop De Looper Alley Ooper Bounce!"

"That's a mouthful…" She muttered.

"Say, you don't need a fresherer, do ya?" He asked with a smirk. Kairi laughed sheepishly and nodded. "Well in dat case, you swing your legs up high!" Tigger explained, physically demonstrating each step. "And you twist your tail in tight! Wind up all your springs, and let it loose!" He hollered as he bounced off the walls, nearly knocking furniture and flatware all over the place.

Kairi watched with her eyes widened and her jaw hanging open. "I...think I might be a little too tight for that bounce.

"Tigger! Now's not the time for crazy bouncing! We have a party to prepare for!" Rabbit scolded him.

Tigger pouted at Rabbit's scolding, putting an end to his fun. Kairi assured him that she was just simply too tall and her body wasn't loose enough to attempt his super bounce anyway. She decided to move onto checking in with Pooh and Piglet. She saw the two of them pacing in place, but there wasn't a whole lot of dancing going on. For starters, the record player wasn't even playing any music. Kairi didn't like to doubt her friends, but she couldn't help but wonder if Pooh and Piglet even knew anything about dancing.

"So Pooh, how's the dance coming?" She asked.

"Well, at first, it was quite swell, but when I stopped to think of a dance, I realized that I don't really know how to dance." Pooh answered with a sigh.

Piglet nodded as he twiddled his hands. "I'm not s-s-so sure I know either. It seems like too much for a small animal."

Kairi laughed as she walked over to the record player and began to play the music. "Here. I know how to dance. I'll show you my favorite dance from when I was little."

Step by step, Kairi showed Pooh and Piglet how to do a routine that she started to remember learning as a little girl. It was a traditional riverdance that was prominent in Radiant Garden. It comprised of mostly taps of the feet, but it was to a particular rhythm as well, adding the challenge factor to learning it. Kairi placed her hands on her hips as her feet tapped in rhythm with the music, her body bouncing along with it. She closed her eyes and started imagining herself standing in Radiant Garden's town with her grandmother, listening to the town musicians play their violins while locals and professionals would riverdance in the streets and crowds would clap along with them.

Pooh and Piglet watched intently, their eyes following her feet. It seemed so simple, yet it seemed like a lot at the same time. They looked at each other and shrugged before they started attempting to imitate Kairi, the keyword being 'attempt'. Pooh and Piglet both tapped their feet, doing their best to follow the music's rhythm. Piglet managed to find that bounce in his step thanks to how small and nimble he was. Pooh on the other hand, well, he tried his best, not getting much of a bounce. That didn't seem to deter the experience though, both him and Piglet were smiling and laughing as they learned the dance.

"Oh! This is rather fun!" Pooh chuckled as he continued to tap.

"Pooh! Look! I'm dancing!" Piglet exclaimed.

Kairi laughed as she scooped Piglet into her arms. "You're doing great, Piglet!" She looked to the rest of the gang and waved them over. "Come on! Everyone! Dance!"

Rabbit, Tigger, as well as Roo and Lumpy, all looked to the center of the house and saw Kairi having the time of her life dancing with Pooh and Piglet. They decided to go along with the rest of the gang and started learning the dance too. Even Eeyore caved in and joined, even if his dancing was less than stellar. Kairi even managed to teach them how to riverdance with a partner. She had each all of them link arms with each other as the pairs shuffled side to side before having them rotate around each other with each of them having an arm around the other person's waistline. Regardless of whether Pooh and his friends understood the dance steps, everyone laughed and had a great time.

"Great job, everyone!" Kairi clapped. "You're all...bouncerific!"

"Mmmm, don't forget hunny-licious…" Pooh said while rubbing his tummy.

"Oh yeah...I did say that, huh?" She laughed as she flicked some hair. _It's all coming back to me now. I finally understand what Merlin was saying when he gave me the book. _

Roo bounced onto Lumpy's back. "So, is the party ready yet?"

"Hmm…" Rabbit paced around while studying his checklist. "We got the decorations, we got the dance, we got the games, and we got the delicious strawberry shortcake, baked by myself of course." He made little checkmarks on the list before joining the social circle. "Well everybody, I think the party's ready! All we need now is to wait for Sora to arrive."

"Wait...for Sora?" Kairi muttered softly. If she could be honest, she had gotten all caught up in the laughter and merriment that she completely forgot about what she was supposed to tell everybody.

Eeyore sighed and shook his head. "Can't start the party without him. Then again, what would I know? Everyone always starts without the donkey."

"I hope he's not too late. We still have to start preparing for winter after we finish the party." Piglet said with concern in his voice.

Kairi bounced off the balls of her feet while twiddling with her hands behind her back. "Well, Sora could always be really far away too."

"Then maybe he oughta start bouncin'! He'll be here in no time!" Tigger chuckled.

"What if he forgot how to bounce?" Lumpy asked as he tapped Tigger's back with his trunk.

Pooh thought for a moment, tapping his paw against the side of his head. "Think, think, think...perhaps, we could wait for him on that lovely hill where we play Pooh Sticks. That way when he gets here, he will see all of us waiting for him."

"Good idea, Pooh!" Piglet exclaimed.

On the very hill Pooh had referred to, the blustery autumn day turned into a peaceful night. The stars twinkled in the perfect dark blue sky without a single cloud to obstruct them. Lumpy lay on the grass with Roo leaning against him as the two of them attempted to make out different patterns made up by the stars. As Kairi joined everyone on the hill, she suddenly started to remember this exact place. It was the last spot where she spent time with Pooh before Radiant Garden was destroyed.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

_As the sun began to set on a perfect summer day in the 100 Acre Wood, Kairi and Pooh skipped along the river's edge toward their favorite hill that overlooked the wood. It was nearing time for Kairi to be going home with her grandmother for the evening, and she wanted to get one last session on the swing with Pooh before she left. It was hers and Pooh's favorite thing to do together. They would take turns pushing each other. This time, it was Kairi's turn to push Pooh on the swing. _

"_Kairi, what are we gonna do tomorrow when you come back?" Pooh asked._

"_Hmm, I don't know, Pooh. We did a lot this summer. Maybe tomorrow, we can do nothing." Kairi answered as she hopped onto a log and balanced on it. "My summer vacation is almost over and then, Grandma said I will start school."_

"_What is this 'school' you speak of?" He asked as he attempted to hop onto the swing._

"_It's this big place where you go to learn things." She giggled as she helped Pooh onto the swing. "Like, how to read, write, and...how to swing on a swing all by myself."_

_Pooh thought to himself as Kairi pushed him on the swing. "Should I go with you? I know big places are scary for Piglet. They must be scary for you too."_

_Kairi nodded. "I am a little scared, but then I remember when Lumpy was scared to come to the 100 Acre Wood, and when he did, he made friends and wasn't scared anymore. Maybe school will be like that."_

"_Then I should go with you after all, so you never have to feel scared."_

"_Grandma said that...I have to go by myself." She said with sadness in her voice. "But I would be back later."_

"_Oh bother, that sounds very lonely…" Pooh softly said as he hopped off the swing. "Will you come back?"_

_Kairi giggled as she took Pooh's paw and walked over to sit on the log. "Yeah, and when I am at school, and I learn to write, I'll write letters to you. And then after school, I will come back. As long as you're here, I'm here."_

"_Then I will wait here until you come back." _

"_How long will you wait?" _

_Pooh sighed and smiled. "As long as it takes. Even if it's forever."_

"_You won't forget me? Even when I'm a hundred?" Kairi asked as she twiddled her hands._

"_I could never forget you, Kairi." He thought for a moment as his smile faded. "Does this mean you'll never forget me too?"_

"_I promise. Grandma says we always keep the ones we love in our hearts, so you're always inside of mine." She said as she rested her hands against her chest. "You'll be in my heart forever."_

"_Forever and ever." Pooh sighed as he leaned against her._

_It was on this very day that Kairi spent her final moments with Pooh before her entire life would change. She would forget him for many years to come, but it was the true connection of their hearts that would find each other again many years later._

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

After so long, Kairi had finally remembered Pooh, Tigger, and all of her childhood friends. She remembered visiting them whenever her grandmother took her to Merlin's house. She remembered telling Piglet to be brave, trying to cheer up Eeyore whenever he was feeling sad, and learning how to plant flowers from Rabbit. She remembered when Lumpy first came to the 100 Acre Wood and how she and Roo introduced him to everybody, and how she used to help Pooh get honey with a balloon. It was a childhood she once had, but knew that no matter how much time she spent in the book, there still remained a dark world outside, awaiting her.

Kairi sat awkwardly on the log at the tip top of the hill with Pooh. She watched everyone sit and patiently wait for Sora to show up. How long could she keep this up? Were Pooh and his friends really going to just sit here on the hill and literally wait until Sora arrived? Who knew how long that would take if it was even possible? Kairi still wasn't even sure if all of her efforts were going to work in the end. Still, she didn't want to lose hope, but it was up to her to tell them.

"Pooh?" Kairi asked looking at the dazing bear. "How long do you plan on waiting for Sora?"

"As long as I have to. He is one of my very best friends." Pooh said putting his paw up to his chest. "He promised we'd be together forever. So, if I must, I will wait here...forever."

Kairi's eyes began to water. "He made us that promise too…" A tear fell down her face and stained her cheek.

Pooh looked over, a concerned look on his face. "Kairi, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing!"

Lumpy dried Kairi's tear with his trunk. "Kairi, you're crying. Why are you crying?"

"Well…"

Tigger bounced up right behind her. "Aw, come on Kairi, old pal! Sora will be here before we all know it!"

"We'll all be here to greet him like Pooh said!" Piglet added in.

"But guys…" Kairi took in a deep breath. She couldn't lead these guys on anymore. "There's something I have to tell you about Sora, and it's...kind of...sad."

"Oh my…" Rabbit muttered.

"You see everyone… Sora, he…" She looked around, her eyes meeting the ones of every single one of hers and Sora's friends as they hopefully awaited for what she had to share. "Sora...had to go...and…"

"Kairi?" Roo asked, hopping up to her. "Is Sora ever coming back?"

Kairi sighed heavily before shutting her eyes and shaking her head. "I'm...I'm not sure."

In the amount of time she had spent in the book, Kairi had never seen so much color leave the area. It seemed as if all sense of happiness had left the book. Hopeful expressions faded into saddened ones. Ears were lowered, tears were shed, and Tigger couldn't bring himself to bounce in place like he always did. He brought his tail up to his eyes and used it to dry his tears. Rabbit held his head low and walked over to the tree, as if he were trying to hide his emotions from the rest of the group. Lumpy wrapped his trunk around Roo as the two embraced each other and Piglet just stood and cried, hiding his face in his arms.

Kairi sighed as she watched a saddened Pooh Bear stand up from the log and walk forward to the edge of the hill. He looked up at the full moon that shone down on everyone. Part of her felt like she completely destroyed her friends' hopes of Sora ever coming back, but at the same time, she knew it was worse to lie and act like nothing happened. Something did happen, and even if she couldn't have done anything to change fate before it happened, Kairi knew that now was her only chance to do so, not just for her, not just for Sora, but for all of their friends.

"It simply cannot be…" Pooh said softly, holding his head low. "Whatever will I do?"

Tigger sniffled. "He was the bestest bouncerer that ever bounced."

"Always knew how to make me smile." Eeyore sighed.

"He was always there when you needed a friend." Rabbit said nodding slowly.

Piglet wiped his tears. "He always made me feel brave."

Pooh turned and slowly walked back to sit on the log. "Who will I share my honey with? Who will sit here and watch the stars with me? Who can I do nothing with?"

Kairi sighed, wiping the last of her tears before a smile curled on her face. "But Pooh, nothing is impossible." She watched as all of Pooh's friends surrounded her. "Sora is lost...and he can't come back...at least he can't without some help from his friends." She placed a hand over her chest. "I'm going out to find Sora, and when I do find him, I'm going to bring him back here, so you two can watch the stars together. In fact, all three of us will watch the stars together."

"You mean, we can bounce again?" Tigger asked as he bounced on his tail in place.

Roo gasped. "And we can play hide-and-seek again?"

"And we can eat fruit together?" Lumpy asked.

Kairi nodded with more confidence than she ever thought possible. "Yeah. When I bring him back, Sora will be able to do all of those things with you guys."

Tigger chuckled as he bounced over and wrapped an arm around Kairi. "That's right! Having fun with friends is what Tiggers do best!"

"Kairi, I shall come with you." Pooh said as he stood up and took Kairi's hand. "I shall help you find Sora."

Rabbit nodded as he rested a hand on her back. "We will _all _go with you to help find Sora."

"Guys…" Kairi smiled widely before pulling Pooh and Tigger into a hug. "You're all so wonderful, and such great friends, but…" Her smile faded as she broke the hug and stood up, walking over to the edge of the hill. "This time, I have to do this on my own. It's too dangerous for you."

"By yourself? What if you need help?" Lumpy asked as he walked closer to her.

Roo nodded in agreement. "Yeah! What if you get lost or hurt or something?"

"If I'm ever in trouble, I'll find some help." She answered as she knelt down to their level. "But...for the most part, sometimes we have to do things on our own, because we want to protect the people we love. It's a part of...growing up." Her voice faded as she gazed down to the ground. "And sometimes when we grow up, we forget certain things."

Pooh looked up into her eyes. "You won't forget me again, right?"

She smiled and shook her head with a soft laugh. "Nope, even when I'm a hundred, I won't ever forget you."

"Will you come back with Sora too?"

"Yep, we'll both be back before you know it." Kairi pointed a finger at Pooh's chest. "In the meantime, keep both me and Sora in your heart."

"And we'll be together forever?"

Kairi nodded, smiling sweetly at Pooh. "Because at the end of the day, your heart will lead you home. And you're _all _safe here, inside my heart." She said while resting her hands against her chest. "If I ever feel lonely, I'll think of you."

"Kairi! We'll see you soon, right?" Piglet asked.

"Yep! Just believe in me and Sora, okay?"

Everyone waved goodbye as Kairi looked to the moonlight and disappeared into an orb of light that would send her back to the real world. As the weightlessness of her body carried her through the pillar of light, she rested a hand against her chest, remembering every single one of them. They were relying on her more than anyone else ever had. Kairi knew she didn't have time to wallow in the past anymore. It was time to focus on the present and the future, a future that had her keeping a promise to bring Sora back home safely,

"No more tears. I have to save you...for Pooh." Kairi said softly as she flew towards the light.

As Kairi approached the end of the tunnel, she felt a strange disturbance around her. She grunted as it felt like something in the air had grabbed and began throwing her side to side. This was definitely not as smooth as the trip into the book. Despite the turbulence, Kairi managed to make it back to Twilight Town, albeit she more or less _thrown _back in. She grunted as her body hit the ground hard. As she began to sit up, Kairi looked to the side and noticed Pooh's book lying on the ground next to her. _How did the book get here? I thought Chirithy was hanging onto it._

While clutching the book close to her, Kairi looked up and her heart suddenly began to sink as her body started to tense up. The sight she beheld was one that was always present in her nightmares and now, it was a reality as she watched Little Chef's bistro burn before her very eyes.

"Oh no…" Kairi muttered.

* * *

**A/N: Just when things were starting to get fluffy too...gotta love that angst, eh?**


	31. Sinister Shadows

**A/N: Sorry to keep ya'll waiting after leaving the last chapter on a cliffhanger! Between Halloween and starting on holiday projects, I got way too busy! But, here we are now!**

Chapter 31: Sinister Shadows

It was like a scene in a horror movie. As if Twilight Town didn't already have a glow that matched the warm-colored sky, it was illuminated even more thanks to the fires that slowly destroyed the surrounding buildings from the bistro, to the various shops, and even the outdoor cinema was being ripped apart by Flame Core and Neoshadow Heartless. Kairi gasped as she saw what looked like a huge flock of Flutterlings flying directly toward the people of Twilight Town. Parents wrapped their arms around their kids and frantically sprinted to avoid the ruthless enemies as they preyed on innocent hearts. She witnessed one guy who fell right in front of her and lay lifeless as his heart floated away, materializing into a Neoshadow.

"What's happening?" Kairi yelled out in a panic. She anxiously searched around for her friends. "Xion! Naminé! Where are you guys?"

Kairi summoned her Keyblade, not even having a clue of where to start. She whipped her head back and saw a Neoshadow going after a group of small children, who were stuck in a corner. Her heart instantly fearing for the children's safety, she charged at the Neoshadow and swung her Keyblade at it, only for it to retaliate and slashed its claws against her arm. She knew right away these weren't pushovers compared to the smaller Shadow Heartless that she was used to fighting already. Kairi growled as she got between the children and the Heartless and cast a Fire spell, knocking it back before finishing it off with a series of horizontal and vertical slashes.

The assumed parents showed up at the perfect time to gather up their children and thanked Kairi. She scanned the area hoping she'd be able to find Xion and Naminé, but neither one of them seemed to turn up and it was getting harder with everyone running in all different directions. Her heart started racing as the screams began to echo in her mind. Everything started feeling all too familiar, as if she had experienced something similar to this once before. Kairi's body began to tremble before being hit with a wave of relief as Chirithy appeared right in front of her.

"Chirithy, what happened?" Kairi asked.

Chirithy shook his head in despair. "I don't know! I just remember suddenly looking up and seeing these Flame Cores falling from the sky like a meteor shower."

"A meteor shower?" She thought for a moment. "Oh no…"

Kairi started to feel her head throbbing. She shut her eyes and held the front of it as the sounds of explosions and locals screaming intensified. The flashback started hitting her like a bullet. She could see herself as a little girl panicking, looking around the skies of Radiant Garden that were now pitch black with the only source of light illuminating from the meteors that fell to the ground, creating fissures and separating loved ones. The young Kairi was screaming inaudibly, as if the memory was too overwhelming for her to focus. Before she could dive into her memory even further, the sound of Chirithy calling her name was enough to snap her out of it.

"Kairi? Are you okay?" Chirithy as he tapped the side of her face.

"Y-Yeah, sorry...I was just…" Kairi stammered, trying to bring herself back to reality. "I started to see stuff from my past…"

"It's okay." He said gently. "Whatever the world throws at you, you'll overcome it. I know what you are capable of and what you can do. I have complete faith in you."

Kairi smiled and patted Chirithy on the head. "Thank you, Chirithy. You're right."

"Now, not to rush you or anything, but there's a giant billow of smoke coming from where the mansion is."

"No! Hayner, Pence, and Olette are there!" She gasped. "They were working on the data transfer!"

Chirithy shook his head. "Don't panic yet, but let's go check on 'em. Xion and Naminé might be there too."

Kairi nodded firmly as she jogged in the direction of the old mansion. It proved to be a difficult task to be ignoring the despairing locals that surrounded her, but her priority was to make sure her friends were okay. As she approached the woods, she noticed that the fire had spread not only among the entire mansion, but throughout the forest. Random critters that normally stayed out of the town were now running for safety. A thought immediately hit her. Sora's data was inside of the mansion! Kairi ducked into the forest, hoping she could hurry to the mansion and possibly rescue the data. Her plan was suddenly interrupted though as she felt a few sets of hands grab onto her arms and pull her back. She turned to find it was Hayner, Pence, and Olette.

"Kairi! You can't go in there!" Pence said with a frown. "It's too dangerous."

"Are you guys okay?" She asked, remembering they were in the mansion. 

"That guy was...a little tougher than I thought…" Hayner grunted as he rubbed the side of his face. "I'll get him next time…"

Pence sighed as he looked hopelessly at Kairi. "I'm...sorry...the data got destroyed."

"What? What happened?" Kairi asked, practically yelling.

"Well…"

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

"_Look! We're finally almost done!" Olette exclaimed as she pointed to the computer._

_Hayner pumped a fist in the air. "Sweet! It's about time too. I thought this would never get finished."_

"_Good...then I can finally sleep…properly." Pence sighed of relief._

"_You could, but where's the fun in that?" A voice echoed in the computer room._

_Turning their attention away from the computer, the trio scanned the room to see who the voice belonged to. It was one that was unfamiliar, but could tell by the cunningness in his tone that this person wasn't on their side. Hayner yelled for the voice to reveal themselves, and that, he did. A dark portal formed in the computer room and Luxu, with his hood up to conceal his identity, emerged, confronting Hayner and Olette while Pence remained at the computer. The black coat that they remembered from when they encountered Ansem and Xehanort's Heartless only a few months prior was enough for them to be on guard._

"_It's one of those blackcoats again!" Olette muttered with concern in her voice._

_Hayner folded his arms and shot a deadly scowl. "What are you losers? Some sort of cult?"_

"_Oh, my bad. If you're referring to the Organization, that's all in the past. I'm practically running the show myself now, and you three are raining on my parade." Luxu sighed while throwing his arms in the air._

"_Don't you have anything better to do than harass my friends?"_

"_Actually, you'd be right about that, kid. I've got bigger fish to fry, but...I had to make a pitstop on the way. I couldn't help but notice you're trying to acquire an impressive amount of data off that computer, am I right?"_

_Pence growled as he shot up from the computer and stepped in front of Hayner and Olette. "Listen buddy, I haven't gotten proper sleep or nutrition for almost a full week because we're trying to save a friend of ours, so I'm the last person you wanna mess with right now." _

_Hayner gasped as he stepped back. "Wow...I've never seen Pence this angry before."_

"_Neither have I." Olette said while shaking her head._

"_And I'm the last dude you wanna mess with period, kid. You may not realize this, but I can take you out with the snap of my fingers. But again, where's the fun in that?" Luxu threatened while jabbing a finger in Pence's direction._

"_Hate to burst your bubble, but there's three of us and only one of you. We have you outnumbered." Hayner spat back. _

_Luxu groaned and shook his head. "As if! Well, let me put it to you this way. Give me the disc with that data, and I'm not taking 'no' for an answer."_

"_And if we don't?" Pence held up his fists, ready to fight Luxu. _

"_Didn't your parents ever teach you to respect your elders?"_

"_It's funny, I never took you for an old man, so you don't count." Hayner snickered._

"_Welp, can't say I didn't warn ya." Luxu shrugged his shoulders as he snapped his fingers._

_With a snap, a group of Neoshadow Heartless materialized and emerged from the ground. Hayner curled his hands into fists and held his arm out in front of Olette while Pence also got in front of her, albeit, a little less confident in his fighting ability. The three studied the Heartless' movements, waiting for them to strike, only for them to merge into the ground and crawl right past them. With the trio now out of the way, the Heartless instantly began clawing and lunging at the computer, destroying the entire system. The monitors were nothing but electrical static and glass shards while the disk drive was completely smashed, as was the disc inside._

"_WHAT?" All three asked in unison as they ran back to the computer._

"_You've gotta be kidding me!" Hayner yelled._

_Pence grunted as stubbornly dug into the disc drive. "It's...not...it's gone…The disc drive and the disc itself is gone…"_

_Olette sighed and shook her head. "No...Sora…" A scowl formed on her face as she turned and charged at Luxu. "How could you?" She ran forward and attempting to throw a punch out of pure anger, only for him to step out of the way and roughly grabbed her by the arm. "Hey!"_

"_How cute...it seems like all the ladies want a piece 'o me." Luxu jested. _

"_Get your hands off of her!" Hayner yelled as charged toward Luxu. As he threw a fist, Luxu smoothly sidestepped, and shoved Olette to the ground. He hurried over to help her up before he was met with the unfortunate shock of Luxu's kick right to his gut. "Augh!" Hayner grunted in pain. While holding his stomach, he attempted to fight back despite his strength being nothing compared to Luxu's. Instead, Luxu chuckled and grabbed him by his blonde hair. "Hey! Couldn't you grab anything but my hair?" Hayner grunted as Luxu slugged him across the face, knocking him down._

"_Stupid kid. Like I said, I've got more important things to. But...I hope your town is insured…"_

"_What are you…" Pence asked, only to be interrupted by what sounded like an explosion outside. "What was that?"_

"_You may wanna go outside and check." Luxu chuckled._

_The trio exchanged worried looks with each other before sprinting out of the computer room. Immediately, there was an unsettling smell of smoke that was coming from the upper floor of the mansion. Thinking the worst, Hayner got Pence and Olette moving toward the front door until a flaming pillar fell right in front of them, nearly landing on top of Pence. Breathing heavily with a mix of fear and relief running through his mind, Pence waved for Hayner and Olette to follow him. The three ran around while avoiding any other burning pieces and escaping the mansion without any injury. _

"_The mansion's on fire!" Hayner yelled._

"_Worse than that!" Olette cried out as she pointed toward the town._

_Although most of the town was obstructed by tall pine trees, the large billowing smoke was enough for the trio to know that Luxu didn't just attack the mansion, but he went after all of Twilight Town. Hayner curled his hand into a fist and clenched his jaw before running into the forest, Olette and Pence following him. She gasped as she saw some of the trees set on fire from Flame Cores crashing right into them like meteors. One of them nearly fell on top of Hayner until Olette grabbed him and yanked him back. Lucky for them, it wasn't a far jog from the rest of the town, but the hopelessness that washed over them from watching their home get destroyed was enough to make this nightmare feel endless._

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

"No…" Kairi shook her head in denial. "It's really gone…The mansion and Sora's data."

"We're really sorry, Kairi." Olette apologized for everyone.

After a moment of silence, Kairi sighed and smiled slightly. "It's okay. I'm just glad you three weren't hurt. Even if Hayner did take a bit of a beating."

"We'll get him all patched up in no time." Pence said confidently.

"Yeah. Is there a safe place for you guys to go?"

Hayner jerked his head more west. "It looks like the other side of town was left untouched, at least for now. I think town authorities are having everyone retreat there."

Kairi nodded. "Okay. You three should get going then before things get worse. Hopefully the other side of town will be alright. I feel like maybe this part of town was targeted specifically because of the mansion." She said before turning and beginning to run back into town.

"Kairi! Where are you going? You have to get to safety too!" Olette asked as she reached out for her.

"I'll be fine. I need to make sure our friends are okay. You three get to the safe area and take any survivors you can find with you!" Kairi said before she went running off in a different direction on the hunt for Xion and Naminé.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Roxas and Xion were down near the usual spot where they usually hung out, attempting to rid the area of any Heartless that materialized, which seemed to happen continuously. Between the two of them, not much had changed since their time in the Organization and still worked as well together as they had in the past. Thanks to Xion learning her new ways of avoiding attacks, she managed to handle the Neoshadows without too much of an issue.

"Guess this is just like old times, huh?" Roxas asked.

Xion nodded. "Yep! This time, I won't suddenly lose my ability to use a Keyblade!"

"Speaking of which…" He held out his hand, summoning his Oathkeeper in his left hand. "Time for double punishment."

"I thought using two Keyblades was 'showing off' too much?" She teased.

"Well...that's when I'm fighting with or against other people. Right now, these guys messed with the wrong person."

Gripping Oblivion and Oathkeeper, Roxas charged forward and began wailing on the Neoshadows left and right. Xion turned around and caught sight of a few Darkballs that appeared. She charged forward and immediately began smacking her Keyblade against the Heartless in a succession of combos. Unbeknownst to her, one was charging up an attack before it unleashed all of its energy and thrashed, throwing Xion toward Roxas. He ran over to her and made sure she was okay as Neoshadow snuck up behind and clawed him in the back.

Reacting negatively to Roxas' painful grunt, Xion clenched her jaw and lunged forward. Her Keyblade set on fire as she used Heat Slash against the Neoshadow. Roxas smiled and laughed at her accomplishment before realizing there were Darkballs behind him that were looking for a "bite". He dodge rolled out of the way of one that attempted to use Dark Volley, only for him to leap up behind and unleash a light based beam attack on it with Oathkeeper. While Roxas was holding up against the Darkballs, Xion was zipping across with the Neoshadows, landing a successful line of Sonic Impacts on them.

"Roxas!" Xion called as she slid into a Heartless, tossing it into the air.

"I got it!" Roxas leapt into the air into a front flip with his blades, nearly tearing the Heartless apart and finishing it off. As his feet landed on the ground, his eyes scanned the area and noticed the Heartless continuing to materialize no matter how many they took out.

"More…?" 

Roxas sighed and shook his head. "They just keep coming…"

"I hope Axel's alright, Kairi, and Naminé." Xion softly said.

"Well, for now, we gotta save our skin and keep everyone around us safe. We know Axel and Isa can hold their own, and I'm sure the girls are okay as well." He explained as he struck his Keyblades against a Mega-Shadow.

"I'm glad you have such confidence in such worthless people!"

Xion and Roxas both froze in place, listening in on the echoing voice. They watched as the Heartless began vanishing one by one. Roxas surveyed the area with a confused look on his face until he turned and saw a dark portal forming in front of Xion. She immediately held her arm up defensively, having a strong idea of who was going to show up. Just as she had predicted, Aros emerged from the portal.

"Who're you?" Roxas asked, running in front of Xion.

Xion gripped her Keyblade tightly, clenching her jaw. "Aros, he's been stalking us and trying to hurt Kairi."

"Wow, playing the blame game, I see?" Aros scoffed as he summoned his Keyblade. "Speaking of which, where is that pretty girlfriend of the one who's practically a brother to you?" He spat at Roxas.

"Probably on her way to kick your ass!"

"Tough talk coming from someone who is a total nobody. You'd better hope nothing's happened to her. I would hate for dear old Sora to find out that you let him down...just like you almost did by being a selfish little punk." Aros threatened. "Especially after all he went through to save you and that little puppet whose nothing more than a mere shadow."

Roxas growled. "Shut up!" He yelled before charging toward Aros.

Aros held up his Keyblade and blocked Roxas' attacks. Not afraid to unleash the anger built up within, Roxas swung his Keyblades, but found Aros to be a much more powerful foe than he could've imagined. He gasped as he fell forward after Aros dodged his attack, leaping into the air and shooting orbs of dark matter toward him. Roxas used Oblivion to block the attack while using Oathkeeper to shoot orbs of light back toward him. Aros only snickered as he sunk into the ground and snuck toward Roxas, sending him flying into the air with a powerful uppercut attack.

Xion hurried over to Roxas and attempted to help him up only for Aros to hit her with a powerful Dark Thundaga. She fell to the ground next to him, only for Roxas to grip his Keyblade even tighter, his anger fueled by Xion's pain. He charged forward and began unleashing a pattern of vertical and horizontal slashes with his blades. Aros attacked back, blocking Roxas' attacks once again. Despite how strong Roxas was, he was aware of how he fought and how his powers of darkness matched against him. Roxas psyched himself up before lunging forward with an attack that sent Aros flying into the air, who recovered by going into a backflip. He watched as Roxas leapt into the air and attempted to land another hard hit on him, only to be blocked by Aros again. This time, once the boys landed, Roxas tripped Aros with Oblivion and came down with Oathkeeper, only for Aros to block him at the last second.

"This could've been the other way around." Aros hissed.

Roxas gasped, his heart sinking. "What are you saying?" He asked as he got up, Aros following suit.

"You and me, we're not that different. Both of us, lost souls, having no sense of the past, and yet, we have memories that linger. Yet, you found your way to the light despite you never meaning to exist. But look around, everything you once had...gone. It's lost to the darkness. Give up while you can, before the darkness destroys you for real this time."

Roxas studied Aros' helmet. Despite not seeing his face, he could sense something familiar. It wasn't anything external, but from within his heart. Roxas could sense a feeling inside of Aros. It was the same thing that lingered in his heart for almost an entire year. A drop of sweat fell from the side of his face, the heat of the burning fires intensifying. Roxas thought back to what it was like to have nothing again, no friends, no home, no sense of purpose. For a moment, he started to believe Aros that he and Xion had lost everything. Tears began to build in his eyes as he rested a hand against his sinking heart.

"**Roxas!"**

A voice echoed in Roxas' mind. He gasped as he felt a warm tenderness inside of his own heart. He knew who the voice belonged to.

"_Sora?"_

"**Remember what I said before? You deserve to be your own person! Don't let anyone tell you anything different!"**

"_Sora...are you…"_

"**Don't ever stop listening to your heart. That's where everything that matters belongs."**

"_My heart…"_

Roxas sighed as he rested his hand against his side. "You're wrong, Aros. I will fight for my right to have a life that I wanted for so long. I deserve to be my own person, and so does Xion. I deserve to be surrounded by friends in this realm of light. In a way, you do too."

"What…?" Aros muttered as he lowered his Keyblade.

"A good friend once told me that. It doesn't matter whether your heart is full of light or darkness. We all deserve our own identity, our own purpose."

"Purpose…"

Xion stepped closer towards Roxas, standing behind him. "Even someone as empty as a puppet."

Aros gasped before turning his face away, his body starting to shake. "Even if I'm not supposed to exist, I already have my own identity and a purpose!"

"Do you? Or are you just a pawn in someone else's plan?" Roxas asked, frowning.

"Shut up!" He yelled.

Aros held up an arm and summoned a portal, allowing him to flee the area. Roxas and Xion watched him disappear with confused looks on their faces before turning and laying their eyes on the burning behemoth that was the clock tower. Xion's heart sank as she thought back to the year she spent on the clock tower with Axel and Roxas, eating ice cream and reflecting on that day's events. She could almost taste the ice cream, but more salt than sweet at the moment. Roxas watched as Xion fell to her knees, hiding her face. He knelt beside her, resting a hand on her back as his heart slowly began to break as much as hers did.

"Aros...did he do this?" Roxas asked softly while holding his head low.

Xion sighed and shook her head. "I don't know…" Tears flooded her eyes as the flames of the burning buildings reflected in her eyes. "Our home...it's just...gone…"

Roxas wrapped his arm around Xion as she began softly sobbing. Trying to hold back his own tears, he pulled her into a hug and held her tightly, despite surrounding buildings burning around them. The last thing on their mind was thinking logically as their home slowly crumbled around them, destroying a year's worth of memories.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Despite Axel and Isa having nothing to do with what was going on down at the mansion that day, the two of them did manage to get pulled into the madness of the disaster. With their Keyblade and claymore respectively, Axel and Isa took care of the residential areas. Even if a lot of the homes had suffered from damage, they were at least able to fight off the Heartless and clear a safe path for locals to escape. Axel cast Firaga on a Darkball and wiped it out before another materialized right away, leaving him groaning. Needless to say, Axel didn't miss the Heartless in the slightest. He looked back and watched as Isa's claymore set ablaze with blue flames and swung it against multiple Neoshadows, taking them out instantly.

"Guess it was a good thing you held onto that claymore, huh? I told you it would come in handy." Axel chuckled with amusement.

Isa smirked. "Are you expecting me to admit that you were right for once?"

"Ouch, talk about burn with a capital 'B'." He held up his Keyblade, ready for battle. "Get out of my town! Got it memorized?"

"Some can't wait to die!" Isa yelled toward the Heartless.

Kairi happened to be travelling through the residential area looking for Naminé and Xion when she happened upon the battle Axel and Isa were both engaged in. "Axel! Isa!" She called their names as she jumped into the middle of the battle with them. "You guys need a hand?" 

"Hey! Look who's back?" Axel exclaimed.

"Did you miss me?" She asked with a playful giggle.

"Of course not." He sarcastically answered. "I'd just rather not get my butt burned by these guys. Wouldn't be good for my pride. Got it memorized?"

Isa rolled his eyes. "So, this is about your pride and not about protecting the town?"

"I never said that!"

Kairi groaned as she smacked a Heartless back. "Can you two bicker like an old married couple some other time, please?"

Axel and Isa nodded as the three of them charged after the Heartless that were further downtown by the residential areas. Luckily for Kairi, the Flame Cores were easier to take out thanks to her Water magic while Axel's Fire magic wasn't really all that helpful. Isa proved to be a competent fighter even after learning how to control his rage. Kairi slid into a doused Flame Core and knocked it into the air, allowing Isa to slam his claymore into the Heartless and wipe it out. As he landed on his feet, Kairi laughed while holding a hand up. Isa simply smirked before high-fiving her.

Kairi looked over and saw Axel was surrounded by Neoshadows. She rushed over to his side and aimed her Keyblade at one of the Neoshadows that was about to claw him in the back. Intending to cast a Fire spell, Kairi gasped as she saw what appeared to be a white ball of light shoot from the end. The Heartless trembled upon impact, making her realize that she had learned a new spell that she never knew she was capable of knowing. Axel's eyes widened at the new spell and nodded, encouraging her to use it again. Kairi gripped her Keyblade and shot another one towards another, this time, hitting it even harder. Despite her new magic wiping out the Neoshadows, it appeared at least one would summon another for backup.

This time, Kairi had an idea. She and Axel got closer together before spinning around and forming a tornado of fire with their Keyblades. They called out for Fission Fire and it proved to be a powerful attack that knocked nearly all the Neoshadows off their feet. Axel cast Firaga on a few of them to finish them off while Kairi shot her new Pearl spell a few times in succession to finish off the rest of them.

"She's bad, she's back, she's burnin', baby!" Axel cheered while punching the air.

Kairi laughed sheepishly as she brushed hair behind her ear. "That should take care of 'em!" She said with a nod before turning at the sound of a dog barking, and saw Bolt running to her fiercely. "Bolt?" She knelt down to his level as he approached her. As Bolt continued to bark, Kairi realized she couldn't understand what he was saying. "Hang on boy, I can't understand what you're saying."

Axel scratched the back of his head and shrugged his shoulders. "Too bad you don't have a translator or something. This would be a REALLY good time to use it."

"Translator? Wait! Axel you're a genius!" Kairi began tapping on her watch, bringing up the translator that Muntz installed on it back in Paradise Falls. "I nearly forgot about that! Okay… let's see…" She muttered as she fiddled with the settings. "Alright! That should do it! Bolt, speak! Tell me what's up."

"Penny's in danger!" Bolt answered, his voice distressed.

"Uh...did that dog just speak?" Isa asked, as if he were in denial.

"Listen, I know understanding us is mind-blowing for some reason, but please, now's not the time. Penny is in trouble and I need your help, Kairi!"

Kairi gasped, instantly ready to jump into action. "What happened to her?"

"She was taken by some guy. He was wearing a big black coat. I couldn't see his face because he was covering it with a hood, but I caught his scent." Bolt explained as he put his snout to the ground.

"Black coat?" Axel and Isa asked in unison.

"Yeah! With a hood covering his face!"

"Sounds like the person Riku was referring to when he was here last." Isa mentioned. "There really is someone in an Organization XIII coat out there."

"Organization XIII?" Bolt asked, his head tilted. "Who are they/"

Axel groaned while rubbing his temples. "Don't ask, otherwise I'll be here for ten hours trying to explain it to you, and even then, you'll be lucky if you do get it."

"Black coat...just like the guy I saw in Agrabah…" Kairi muttered. "Okay, Bolt, let's go save Penny!"

"Thanks! She means the world to me."

"I understand. Axel, Isa, you two can take it from here and see if any nearby locals are hurt." She said, turning to the guys.

"And you, Little Red, be careful. Got it memorized?" Axel asked with a smirk.

Kairi nodded as she pressed a finger against her temple. "Memorized!" She knelt back down to Bolt's level with a serious expressed on her face. "Okay, you lead the way and I'll follow!"

"We need a faster way to get to her. You won't be able to keep up with me." Bolt said while kicking his paw back.

"How?"

Bolt darted his head around, as if he were searching for something. His eyes scanned the area until they happened upon a skateboard that was lying idly to the side of the street. "There! Grab that skateboard!"

"Uh...okay." She hurried over and flipped the skateboard right side up. The board budged a bit as she stepped on. "I...I don't know about this. I've never skateboarded in my life."

"Don't worry. Here, grab and onto my leash and let me take care of the rest. All you gotta do is retain your balance with the board, hang on tight, and whatever you do, don't let go. Got it?"

"Okay. I got it." Kairi nodded as she gripped Bolt's leash.

"Perfect! Now, you ready for zoom-zoom?" He asked with a wide smile while kicking his paws back.

"I guess, but what is zoom-ZOOOOOOOOMMMMMM!" She cried out as Bolt took off sprinting at top speed through the town.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Down at the park, Riku and Naminé were handling on ridding the Heartless that had infested the playground. Among the smaller Soldier and Neoshadows, Dark Hide, a Heartless resembling a quadrupedal beast, emerged and destroyed the jungle gym with one foul swoop. Riku naturally held his arm out, protecting Naminé as it began kicking its paws back, like it was getting ready to charge at the two of them. It began bouncing around before launching itself toward Riku and Naminé, claws out. The two of them sidestepped out of the way right before Naminé aimed her Keyblade at the beast and cast Blizzard on the arm.

While Dark Hide's arm was frozen through the ground, Riku charged forward and cast Dark Firaga right into the face. Instead of taking the attack, the beast broke free of Naminé's ice spell and leapt forward into a spiral attack, knocking Riku back. He grunted from the impact as Naminé ran over and cast Cure on him. With the two of them back on their feet, Riku decided to use Dark Shield to block the two of them from Dark Hide's lunging claws while Naminé cast Fire on it.

Dark Hide stumbled back from Naminé's spell before recoiling back by whirling its entire body around. Naminé cried out in pain from the impact, but bounced back up. She watched as Riku charged forward and attempted to hop onto the beast's back. As he grabbed onto the back, Dark Hide began thrashing about. Realizing Riku was in danger of being thrown off, Naminé ran forward and cast Slow on Dark Hide. As his movements slowed down significantly, Riku began climbing back up. Naminé decided to cast Haste on herself to give her an extra boost of speed. She ran forward and greatly increased speeds and cast Blizzard on all four of Dark Hide's paws, holding it in place.

Now with Dark Hide frozen in place, it gave Riku the chance to stab his Keyblade into its back. Unfortunately, a Flutterling charged right for Riku, interrupting his attempt. He swatted the small flying Heartless away before more came after him. He groaned as he continued to fight them off like a swarm of flies. It was almost as if Dark Hide had summoned them for backup. Naminé gripped her Keyblade tightly before decided to hop onto Dark Hide's back as well. She went ahead and decided to take care of ridding the Flutterlings with her improved speed while Riku could finish off Dark Hide. While this was their plan, the Slow spell wore off, causing Dark Hide's movements to be just as jarring as they were before and also breaking the ice blocks that held his paws in place one before.

Riku and Naminé both held on desperately as the beast thrashed about. Naminé couldn't cast any magic this time around since she was focused on trying to hold on. Riku, on the other hand, tried with all of his might to get back onto Dark Hide's back without losing his grip. He stayed kneeling down once he got up, using one hand to grip onto the Heartless, and another to hold his Keyblade. As he lifted his weapon up, Naminé had an idea. She held her own Keyblade towards his and cast Thunder on it, emerging it in deadly lightning bolts before Riku plunged it into the back of Dark Hide's heart. The beast began to wail in pain after it was impaled and collapsed, giving Riku and Naminé a chance to return safely to the ground as it vanished into darkness.

"Phew, finally…" Naminé sighed of relief.

Riku nodded. "Let's go find Kairi and the others. We should search for survivors and make our way to the safe side of town."

"Looking for Kairi? Looking to run away and play 'hero' this time?"

Riku and Naminé both looked to the side and saw none other than Kaguya emerge from a portal. Although Riku was unfamiliar with who she was, he immediately got a bad vibe from her and stepped forward, gripping his Keyblade tightly.

"Kaguya." Naminé exclaimed.

"Who is she?" Riku asked, a scowl forming on his face. "Where's Kairi?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Kaguya asked as she chuckled.

Riku growled as held his Keyblade toward her. "I hope you have your will written, because if you hurt her…"

"Wow, that's a little dark for you. Huh, big guy?" She sighed while shaking her head. "Then again, I don't expect anything less from someone who nearly lost himself to the darkness."

"That's enough, Kaguya!" Naminé yelled as she stood by Riku.

Kaguya laughed. "It really is cute how you're trying to protect him. Even though..._he _failed to protect you."

"That's none of your business! Now, where's Kairi?" Riku yelled as Naminé's face softened.

"Don't waste your breath. She has no need for you anymore."

"You really expect me to believe that?"

"Believe what you will. I'm just the messenger." Kaguya said before disappearing into a dark portal.

Riku sighed. "Looks like whoever are target is, they're not alone."

"Yeah…" Naminé nodded.

"Hey, you okay?" He asked.

"I'll be fine." She answered with a fake smile. "Come on, let's go find Kairi."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Kairi held tightly onto Bolt's leash as he demanded while he took off sprinting through the streets of Twilight Town. While she was concerned for Penny's safety, she was more worried about them colliding with something or someone. Bolt made quite a few sharp turns around some streets, requiring Kairi to lean in the same direction and drift the board so she wouldn't go flying off in the opposite direction. The longer she was on the skateboard, the more she got used to it and began to feel confident in being able to keep her balance. A collapsed pillar from a shop fell in front of them, requiring Bolt to jump. Kairi knew in a split second that she had to jump as well or else she was going to collide with the pillar and catapult her forward.

With her eyes closed, Kairi jumped, bringing the board with her, and missed the burning flames. Bolt barked happily as she landed on the other side before continuing up the hill. This time it was too much for Bolt to do it all himself, so Kairi also helped push herself up. _Thank goodness for strong legs,_ she thought to herself.

Once at the top of the hill, Bolt took control, but not before being stopped by some Shadows. The dog growled and snarled at the Heartless before widening his eyes and shooting green laser beams at them. Kairi's jaw dropped as she watched him bounce off his surroundings at great speeds. He simply stared at a Shadow before it burst into flames and managed to pick up an entire bike, using it to smack more of the Shadows away. Bolt barked with pride as the Heartless vanished only for more, a larger swarm of Shadows, appeared right in front of him.

"Bolt! Forget it! They just keep reappearing! My friends will take care of them while we go save Penny!" Kairi said, annoyed with the Heartless' constant reappearing.

"Guess desperate times call for desperate measures…" Bolt muttered as he began to space out his legs.

"Uh... Bolt?"

"Stand back, Kairi!"

Doing what she was told, ironically, Kairi stepped back as she watched Bolt bend his legs as if he were getting ready to take off sprinting. Instead, he lowered his head while shutting his eyes. Kairi could instantly tell that he was charging for an attack if any of his previous moves were any indication that Bolt was no ordinary dog. The Shadows crept closer and closer by the second. While Kairi wanted to just bring out her Keyblade and take them all out right there, she also wanted to trust Bolt. After all, she was aware of how smart dogs actually were. Just as the Shadows couldn't have gotten any closer without attacking them, Bolt finally let out a bark that was loud and strong, strong enough to send shockwaves forward and destroy any Heartless that was in its path.

Kairi couldn't believe it she just watched a dog take out an entire swarm of Heartless with one bark. She looked down and smiled at him before petting him on the head. Bolt barked happily and wagged his tail, accepting his praise, but not for very long. With the Heartless out of their way, Bolt was ready to keep going. Kairi grabbed his leash and got back on the skateboard, ready for him to lead the way. The street took them over to the train station, where she was only a few weeks before, leaving on a train to Yen Sid's tower to start her journey. It was apparent by the destruction that Twilight Town's station and trains had become nothing but memories to her, as did the clock tower.

"Okay, I tracked Penny's kidnapper here!" Bolt mentioned as he came to a stop.

Kairi gasped as she gazed upon the flaming tower. "Not the clock tower…"

"Kairi! We have to hurry! Penny needs us!" He barked her out of her trance.

"Right! Sorry!"

After unhooking Bolt's leash and leaving the skateboard behind, Kairi followed him into the train station and over to the stairways that would take them up to the clock tower. While it wasn't too bad as far as how bad the fire was spreading, Kairi knew she didn't have much time to help Bolt rescue Penny. The two of them ran up the numerous flights of stairs, stopping every now and then to catch their breath because there were so many stairs. The closer they got to the top, the hotter it got and the thicker the smoke was, only further concerning Kairi and Bolt because there was no doubt that Penny was up there.

Once they got to the top, it looked like the tower had already started to crumble. Debris, as well as parts of the rooftop had already collapsed and made the giant chamber look like a maze. Kairi carefully moved any debris she could that wouldn't burn her while Bolt darted his head around the chamber, keeping an eye out for Penny.

"Help! Someone help!" Penny's voice echoed in the tower.

"That's Penny!" Bolt barked.

Kairi nodded as she crept forward. "We'll get her out of here! Penny!" She called out her name, hoping to just follow her voice. "It's me! Kairi! Bolt and I are here!" She yelled before coughing.

"Help! Bolt!"

The despair in Penny's voice drove Kairi to push harder despite how dangerous this was, being as close to the fire as she was. Bolt continued to bark, which pushed Penny to keep calling for help, and assisted with the two of them being able to find her quickly. Kairi finally managed to find Penny, who had been tied up to a chair and was surrounded by cogs and gears that had collapsed as a result of the fire.

"Kairi! Bolt! You guys came for me!" She exclaimed.

Bolt ran up to her and began nuzzling her legs. "I was so worried about you, Penny."

"And you're talking too?"

"Sorta...I'm using a translator on my watch." Kairi explained as she began untying the ropes holding Penny hostage. "I'll explain when we get out of here." 

"Don't you mean _if _you get out of here?"

Kairi stopped for a moment as the haunting voice sent shivers through her spine. This wasn't a voice she was familiar with, especially recently. If anyone was going to try and stop her right now, she expected Aros and Kaguya, but it wasn't either of them. Bolt stopped and tried to sniff out the area. Both he and Kairi turned as a dark portal formed. Luxu emerged from the portal, but with his hood up, keeping his identity hidden from the suspicious redhead. Kairi gasped as she saw the black-coated figure and studied his body's build. She instantly recognized him as the figure she chased after in Agrabah.

"You…" Kairi muttered.

Bolt growled and crouched in front of the girls. "You...you're the one who tried to take Penny away from me."

"As if it were even a challenge. Besides, how could I not? It was the perfect bait for our precious little pure light here." Luxu jested.

"Bait? Is that what this is all about? You tried to kidnap a little girl just to get to me?" Kairi asked, her voice raising an octave.

Luxu scoffed and folded his arms. "Okay, first of all, she's like 12. She's not little."

"I don't care! You still kidnapped her and that's awful! What do you even want with me, anyway?"

"Come on, it's like those two idiot lackies of mine keep trying to tell ya. You wanna see your boyfriend, don't ya?"

Kairi gasped softly before stepping back and summoning her Keyblade. "Aros and Kaguya, those two are with you, aren't they? Are you the one they keep referring to as their master? Are you the one they're trying to bring me to?" 

"Wow, smart and cute.'

"You know, I'm _really_ getting tired of people calling me 'cute' around here, almost as if they think I'm too 'precious' and 'fragile' to defend myself." She groaned.

Luxu chuckled. "Well, you're not wrong, but it sounds like you can't accept a little brutal honesty either."

"What?"

"Think about it, sweetheart…" He sighed as he turned away from her. "A precious little light who lives on an island, destiny brings her to two young boys who are destined to become Keyblade masters. These boys mean everything to her, to the point where she wants to fight alongside 'em, and so this girl runs away, hoping to find them, specifically the one her aching heart longs for, and where does it lead her to?" Luxu held up a hand and snapped his fingers. "Kidnapped, just like that, and all she can do is cry for her hero to come rescue her."

Kairi's hand curled into a fist as her jaw clenched. "You're wrong…"

"Sounds like an inconvenience, huh? All he's trying to do is find his best friend and return home, and suddenly. Well, he's gotta go play 'hero' and rescue the princess again." Luxu began laughing in a low tone. "But then, she finally gets her wish. She's handed the cutest little Keyblade and is sent out to battle, without any sort of experience." He turned around to face Kairi again. "Did you really think you stood a chance out there?"

"Look! I trained and I did the best I could, okay?" She yelled.

"It's too bad it wasn't..._good enough_."

"Stop...just stop!" Kairi groaned as she summoned her Keyblade.

Bolt growled and began creeping forward. "You're really barking up the wrong tree, buddy."

"Look! You even have a cute animal sidekick!" Luxu pointed at him. Bolt suddenly dashed toward him, barking and snarling, only for Luxu to stop the dog in midair as he lunged toward him. Using dark energy, Luxu levitated Bolt in front of him before throwing him back toward the wall. He whimpered from the impact.

"Bolt!" Kairi cried out his name. She turned to Luxu, stepping forward. "What's the matter with you? Do you just take _pride _in hurting others?" 

"Obviously, you have no idea what it takes to get what you want in life. Sometimes, you gotta hurt the ones you love the most." He chuckled while shrugging his shoulders. "With you though, I wouldn't stress. You can't do any worse than what I've done. Although...it's too bad Venty-Wenty had to pay for your careless actions."

Kairi gasped as she thought back to the conversation she and Ven had back at Radiant Garden. Even if Ven couldn't recall all the details and she couldn't really understand exactly what Luxu had done, it didn't matter. The fact that he had hurt Ven was enough to get her blood boiling. She scowled at him as she put the pieces together and finally figured out who this hooded figure before her was.

"You...you're Luxu! You're the one who hurt Ven! What did you do to him?" Kairi yelled as she pointed her Keyblade towards him.

Luxu shook his head. "Ask him, not that he'd even remember it. The kid can't even remember his own past. Kinda pathetic when you think about it. A kid having that poor of a memory."

"That's enough!" She swung her Keyblade back to her side. "Just finish already!"

"What? Do you hate me?" Luxu snickered. "Do you wanna fight me?"

"Those are some bold questions considering everything you've done and said."

"Then enough talking, show me how much you hate me!" Luxu yelled as he summoned his two arrowguns.

Kairi shouted as she charged forward, raising her Keyblade to strike Luxu hard. Instead, he effortlessly teleported up to a higher level in the tower, leaving her confused about where he could've vanished to. Luckily for her, Kairi turned and caught sight of Luxu as he fired his arrow gun. She held up her Keyblade and blocked the arrows before Luxu suddenly teleported behind her and struck her in the back with the gun itself. Kairi grunted as she was shoved forward, but managed to bounce back and began casting Pearl spells on him, all of which he blocked with his own force field and sent them right back to her.

With Luxu being as powerful as he was, Kairi couldn't stand a chance against him. Despite how many times she tried to either block, dodge, or cast Reflect to avoid his projectiles, Luxu was always a step ahead of her. Kairi finally tried to cast Stop, but much to her dismay, her spell wasn't strong enough to stop him and instead, he teleported back behind her and kicked her down to the ground. The heat and smoke from the fire were weakening her by the second and making it harder for her to keep fighting. She also still had to rescue Penny. Luxu stepped toward her. He smirked as he watched her cough and breath heavily.

"I knew it. You don't have a bad bone in your body." Luxu chuckled as he glared down at her. "Sorry, sweetheart, but kindness doesn't get you through life. But hey, being too nice isn't uncommon. Your stupid boyfriend has the same problem."

Kairi gasped as her head popped up. "Has? Is…" She stood up from the ground her face filled with hope. "Wait, do you know where Sora is?"

"Oh, whoops! I've said too much." He sighed dramatically while holding the crown of his head.

"Where is Sora? Tell me! Now!" Kairi yelled as she got ready to charge at him.

Luxu scoffed and held his arms up. "Who said anything about knowing where he is? He could be dead in the water for all I know. He could've just left it at that, and gone home to a normal life. But no, you failed, and he had to pay the price. Life's so unfair like that, isn't it?"

"You rotten-" She charged forward, not thinking much into her strategy and tried to land a hit on him again. Luxu teleported again, causing her attack to completely miss. "Stop being such a coward! Just tell me what happened to Sora!"

"You wanna know where Sora is?" Luxu asked as he reappeared behind her. "Then just try and pry that out of me." He watched as Kairi tightened the grip around her weapon. "Come on, come and get me. Get _really _angry and fight me. You know that's how you feel, is that right, Kairi?" Kairi's whole body shook as she tried to fight the desire to take him out right there. Unbeknownst to her, Luxu was aiming his arrowguns at her, charging up an attack with blue energy. "Accept it, Princess of Heart, you want true strength? Let your anger and hate fuel that strength!"

Kairi started breathing heavily as she felt something build up in her heart. It was cold, like ice, and she could feel it slowly spread inside her chest. The more she felt it, the more she wanted to hurt Luxu. It was completely different than the soft warmth she was used to. The memories of all the times Sora had gotten hurt or into trouble because of her began to plague her mind. Discouraging words echoed her mind, but in a reverse way, she could feel her power building up inside of her. As she turned around, Kairi caught sight of the blue energy arrow that Luxu shot toward her, reacting instantly by swinging her Keyblade against it. What would've normally taken Kairi out, she was able to deflect back with this strength she had never felt before.

The empowerment didn't last long as the arrow bounced off the chamber and impaled through a pillar right above the door. The burning pillar, as well as some debris, fell right in front of it, leaving everyone inside trapped.

"Whoopsie-daisy. I think this is my cue to get the heck out of here." Luxu summoned a dark portal. "Best of luck, Kairi!" He falsely wished as he disappeared into the portal.

"No!" Kairi yelled. Her breathing became heavy as her eyes darted around the burning chamber. "This is bad…"

"How are we gonna get out of here?" Penny asked in a panicked tone.

"Uh…" She turned to Penny and sliced the ropes off her body. "Don't worry, Penny. We'll figure a way out. Just...try not to breathe in the flames." Kairi searched around for another way out only to come up with a better idea. "Wait! Water! Water puts out fire!" She held up her Keyblade and cast some on some burning flames. It was just too bad the fire was too big that it instantly turned her water to steam.

Bolt growled and shook his head. "Why is water not putting out the fire?"

"I don't know!" Kairi groaned in frustration as she continued to cast Water spells. "It's way too hot in here! The water's turning into steam! I'm gonna have to dig us out of here!"

"We need help!" Penny cried out.

Kairi gasped at Penny's realization. "Help? Help! Chirithy!" She eyed him desperately as he popped out from her hood. "Chirithy! I need you to get Riku! He'll get us out of here!"

"Right! I'm on it!" Chirithy nodded as he disappeared.

After Chirithy disappeared, Kairi went back to trying to dig through the debris, only for a majority of pieces to be completely on fire. From above, one of the cogs began to collapse. Kairi managed to shove herself, Penny, and Bolt out of the way. She panted heavily out of relief and fear. Kairi shook it off and decided to try using her Keyblade to try and move the debris, but this still left the issue of how thick the smoke was, and how it was making everything harder for Kairi. She sighed out of exhaustion before looking over and watching as Penny collapsed onto the ground.

"Penny? Penny! Are you okay?" Bolt asked as he caught her.

Kairi gasped as she knelt down to her level. "Penny? Penny! Wake up, Penny!" She lightly shook the girl. "No…she's unconscious…"

"Penny...please...please be okay…"

"Bolt…" She pet him on the head. "I'm gonna get us out of here, count on it."

Leaving Bolt to look after Penny, Kairi went back to the pile of debris and went back to work on it. With each swing of her Keyblade, Kairi found herself growing more dizzy and her chest feeling heavier. All she could do was hope that Chirithy could make it back in time.

"Riku…" Kairi muttered softly as her vision grew blurry.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

While Kairi was inside of the clock tower, nobody seemed to have any idea where she was. Roxas and Xion, as well as Riku and Naminé, all had the idea to check the clock tower, since that was a place that Kairi was very familiar with. Not to mention, Roxas and Xion, were both in denial that the tower was really burning and needed to see it up close for themselves. All of those times they sat on the tower eating sea-salt ice cream at the end of the day. They couldn't do that again.

"Roxas! Xion!" Naminé yelled as she and Riku approached them. "Are you okay?" 

"As okay as we'll be." Xion said with a sigh. "What about you guys?"

Riku nodded while breathing deeply. "We're fine." His eyes darted around, noticing there was someone missing.

"Where's Kairi?" All four of them asked in unison.

Chirithy popped in the middle of everyone at the perfect time. "Riku! I know where Kairi is! She's trapped inside the clock tower!"

"What?" He asked, raising his voice.

"She went in there to save a girl and now she can't get out!"

"Kairi!" Riku yelled as he ran for the clock tower. "Take me to her!" As he was about to run in, a couple firefighters stopped him. "Let me through!"

"Sorry kid, too dangerous. Leave it to us."

"I have to get in there! My best friend is in there!" He attempted to fight through them.

"Kid, just calm down. We'll go and get her out."

Riku groaned and shook his head. "She doesn't need you! She needs ME! And I'm not losing her too!" He shouted before shoving past them and entering the fiery tower.

The tower was starting to burn even more since Kairi's arrival. Even Riku was having a hard time seeing through the thick smoke and the heat was intense. He was used to heat from living on an island, but this was a whole new level of heat. Riku grunted as he could feel the smoke building up in his chest too. He couldn't let it get to him, not now. He could feel in his heart that Kairi needed him now, almost as if Sora's heart was calling out to his, begging for him to save her. If that was the case, Riku could feel the same hurt Sora had. He fought through and continued all the way up to the top.

"Kairi! Kairi!" He started yelling her name off the top of his lungs.

Bolt, who could hear Riku's calls from the other side, began barking, hoping that he and Chirithy could hear him. Despite having a hard time seeing, Riku could hear Bolt's barking and began to keep moving forward, following the sound.

"Is that…?" Riku muttered.

"I know that bark! It's Bolt!" Chirithy began hopping in the direction of the bark. "Come on! Follow that bark!"

Chirithy managed to successfully lead Riku over to the crumbled debris and came to the conclusion that Kairi was there, despite not being able to see her. He called her name numerous times, hoping she would answer, but nothing came from the other side. He began digging through the debris, not even taking into account that most of the pieces were on fire. All he cared about was getting Kairi out of here, as well as Penny and Bolt. It seemed that the more Riku dug, the more debris would collapse in front of him, creating an even bigger obstacle and making it even harder thanks to the smoke building up in his chest.

"Come on…" Riku grumbled. He cried out in pain as his hand accidentally brushed a flame. He breathed heavily and held it as he felt the heat linger on. Despite the pain though, Riku pushed through, and continued to fight.

"There has to be something else you can do! We're running out of time!" Chirithy groaned as he tried to pull some rubble.

Riku stopped for a moment. He had a feeling there was another way. No, he _knew _there was another way. It wasn't his first choice, but at this point, if he wanted to save Kairi, he didn't have much of a choice. Riku dove deep into his heart and held his chest as dark waves began to emerge at his feet. Chirithy gasped at the sight. He watched as Riku summoned Braveheart, which had the same dark waves surrounding it.

"Riku? What're you…?" Chirithy stammered as he backed away from Riku.

Riku gripped his Keyblade tightly and focused on the rubble. "Time for a visit from an old friend."

As a young man who had overcome his darkness and learned how to control it, Riku decided this was the time to use it. His Keyblade began engulfed in Dark Firaga flames as he held it up, charging an attack. Chirithy hopped out of the way, having no idea what the impact of this attack was going to be. Now with his attack charged, Riku yelled as he swung Braveheart clear across the debris and rubble, knocked every last piece to the side, and revealing the opening into the chamber where Kairi was. He caught his breath and dropped his Keyblade as he looked forward and saw her on her knees, head hanging low, gripping her own Keyblade very loosely.

"Kairi!" Riku rushed forward and knelt by her.

Chirithy bounced over to Penny and Bolt, who was close to fainting. "The girl Kairi came for, she passed out!"

"Kairi! Kairi! Come on!" He gently shook her. "Are you there? Kairi, look at me!" He softly pleaded. "Please...look at me, Kairi…"

Kairi breathed heavily as she slowly looked into Riku's eyes. "R-Riku?"

"Hey." Riku smiled warmly. "You're okay."

"I…" She coughed. "I can't breathe…Penny…"

Riku's eyes darted over to Penny before he rushed over, picking her up. "We need to get her out. She's still breathing, but it's really unsteady."

"Please...save Penny…" Bolt whimpered.

Chirithy rested his paws against Bolt. "I've got you."

"I'm gonna do everything I can to save her." Riku said in a serious tone as he draped Penny over his shoulder. Once he had a good grip on Penny, he hurried back to Kairi and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Kairi, I need you stand up. I'm gonna help you out, but I have to get Penny out too, so I can't carry both of you out."

Kairi coughed while nodding. "Okay…" She dismissed her Keyblade and held onto Riku's arm as she struggled to stand up, feeling the thickness of the smoke cloud her head. As she stood all the way up, Kairi nearly lost her balance and collapsed only for Riku to catch her. "Riku...I can't…" She coughed. "Get Penny...and Bolt...out of here…"

"I'm not leaving here without you. We're in this together, okay?" He encouraged, nearly choking up. "Right now, it's you and me. You _can _do this."

Despite feeling completely weak, Kairi gazed up at Riku, taking his encouraging words to heart. She nodded while hanging tightly onto him. He breathed heavily while focusing on helping her get moving. Riku figured he would gently push her forward. As long as she could walk, this plan would work for the both of them.

"You're doing great, just keep moving your legs." Riku encouraged. _Don't worry, Sora. I'll get her out of this alive. She's gonna be okay._

It was a long process getting down the stairs, but at least getting down was easier than going up. Riku kept his grip around Kairi's waist and never let go of her. The longer she was up, the easier it became for her to move her legs and get down the stairs, but her light head and the smoke that had built up in her chest didn't help her case at all. Bolt wasn't faring much better either. He limped down the stairs with his head held low. Chirithy did the best he could to support the struggling pooch.

Kairi looked back as she watched Bolt collapse. She instantly felt a second wind surge through her as she released her grip on Riku and bent down to pick up Bolt and carry him. Riku shared a concerned look with her, but Kairi simply smiled and nodded, assuring him that she was okay. Chirithy opted to vanish and get himself out of the fire. Together, Kairi and Riku finished their treacherous hike down the stairs and back to the bottom floor where Roxas, Xion and Naminé all waited for them outside.

"Kairi!" Naminé and Xion yelled in unison as they ran toward her and Riku.

Riku allowed the firefighters to take Penny and Bolt while he held onto Kairi, who was now on the verge of collapsing. "She breathed in a lot of smoke. She needs air." He said to the EMTs as he sat her down on the ground. "We made it out, Kairi."

Kairi held her head low as she breathed heavily, trying to inhale as much oxygen as possible. "Riku…?" 

"Hm?"

"Thank you…" She softly thanked Riku as she leaned forward and embraced him.

Riku sat there, frozen in place. All he could think was how relieved he was that Kairi made it out okay. Had he not had the strength he acquired, she wouldn't be here now, hugging him. Riku sighed before wrapping his arms around Kairi and holding her tightly. He buried his face into her hair, taking in her presence.

_Maybe...Just maybe...I need you more than you need me..._

**A/N: So...many...fight sequences… *collapses***


	32. At Dusk, I'll Think of You

**A/N: So much sweetness in this chapter that I think I got a cavity from it lol And HOLY CRAP I UPDATED IN LESS THAN A WEEK? **

* * *

Chapter 32: At Dusk, I'll Think of You

The aftermath following the destruction at Twilight Town was exactly what the townsfolk needed. Tiana had opened up her restaurant to offering free gumbo and beignets, and medics were scattered all throughout, examining children and adults who were injured during the incident. Kairi was no exception. While she didn't sustain any burns, she did inhale a lot of smoke, which her body was thankfully able to detox, and was given plenty of water to drink in order to bring down her body temperature, which was rather high thanks to the heat from the fires.

After being released by the medics, Kairi walked over and sat on the sidewalk, drinking some water and examining the rest of the town that was still viable. Hayner, Pence, and Olette were all inside of the restaurant getting some gumbo, which thanks to Tiana, and the help of Little Chef, there was plenty for everyone. Namine, Xion, and the rest of her friends had all scattered about, giving her some space to recover. After taking a sip of water, she looked up at the sound of footsteps making their way toward her. Much to Kairi's delight, it was Riku. A smile formed on his face as he reached her.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" Riku asked.

Kairi smiled and nodded. "I'll survive. How's your burn?" She asked as he took a seat next to her.

Riku grunted as he brushed his hand against it. "It could be worse."

"Here, let me see." She took Riku's arm and gently cradled it. "Oooh, that looks bad."

"Maybe a little, but it'll be fine."

Kairi shook her head. "Let me try something."

Riku watched as Kairi set his arm on her lap and she stretched out her fingertips over the burn. Slowly, oversized drops of water started to form over her fingers, soaking the redness on his arm. He furrowed his eyebrows as he could feel the soothing coldness against his skin. The stinging that the burn initially caused started to cease, meaning he felt less pain the longer Kairi brushed her fingers along. He looked up and smiled warmly at her as she focused closely on working what could only be her own magic.

"Look at that, looks like you haven't changed all that much after all." Riku chuckled with amusement.

"Hm? What do you mean?" Kairi asked, tilting her head to the side.

"You always were mine and Sora's best healer when we were kids, always patching us up if either one of us got hurt."

Kairi laughed. "Right, I remember. The first time I ever patched you up was when you were six and you fell off the tree in your backyard. You tried to toughen it out, but I got you a band-aid very quickly." She put a hand under her chin and looked up. "It had dinosaurs on it, if I remember correctly."

"Yeah, I was really into them back then." Riku nodded.

"What are you talking about? You're still into dinosaurs." She teased.

"Can you blame me? They're cool."

Kairi shrugged her shoulders. "Nope, I don't blame you at all."

Riku laughed and stretched his legs out, leaning back. "I remember when I broke my leg when I was 10 and you never left my side."

"Of course, I needed to make sure you were taken care of." She softly said as she ran her hand over Riku's back.

"Didn't you try and entertain me with all of your terrible jokes?"

Kairi gasped dramatically and folded her arms, pouting. "Well then, I guess next time, I'll make sure you're bored!"

"Wow, how harsh, picking an injured guy." Riku sarcastically remarked while rolling his eyes. Kairi began laughing, him joining along with her. "You know, it's been a while since I laughed like this. Thanks, Kairi."

"Your welcome." She said with a soft smile as her hand fiddled with her lucky charm. "Riku, I don't know if I ever thanked you."

"You did."

"I don't mean for saving my life...on multiple occasions." Kairi laughed while shaking her head. "I mean, for just...being there...when I needed you. You mean a lot to me." She said while gently resting a hand on top of his.

Riku sighed, smiling crookedly. "I guess I never thanked you either."

"You did, just a minute ago." She laughed.

"I don't mean for making me laugh. I mean for just...being you. Sometimes when the world seems so dark, we need a light that brightens it up for us." He softly said as he gently squeezed her hand.

"Well, I'll always be there for you, and someone else special I know won't let you down." Kairi said tenderly.

Riku gasped softly as he looked next to him. He saw that momentarily, Kairi's lucky charm had transformed into a star charm, and Kairi herself had transformed into Namine. His eyes were hypnotized by hers and the warmth of her hand sent shivers down his spine. After blinking, Riku saw that Kairi was back where she was the whole time, sitting comfortably, listening to him, her hand locked in his. Riku's heart started racing, making it harder to breathe, but he did his best to hide it, knowing well that Kairi would try and figure out what was wrong if she saw him feeling uncomfortable. He couldn't blame her though. It was in her caring nature, and he wouldn't change it for the world.

"Uh...I think my arm's okay." Riku quickly stood up. "I'm...gonna go take a walk."

"Okay, I'll catch up later." Kairi nodded as she watched him walk down the street. She looked down at her stomach, which began to rumble. "I am kind of hungry. Let's try some of that gumbo."

Kairi stood up, greeted by another rumbling of her stomach. She was definitely ready to eat. She walked into the restaurant where Tiana was standing over by the hot plate in her restaurant, ready to serve the next bowl of gumbo, which was for Kairi. After scooping some into a bowl, Little Chef "insisted" on Tiana taking a break since she had been working nonstop since the locals began flooding in that side of town. Deciding to take him up on that offer, Tiana scooped herself some gumbo and also fixed a plate of beignets for her and Kairi. The two young ladies decided to go sit on the top of the roof, which provided a bittersweet view of Twilight Town. There was enough of a beautiful view of the town that still survived while there were traces of smoke from the buildings that burned.

"You've been so thoughtful, offering to feed everyone in town who lost their homes." Kairi said as she finished sipping her gumbo.

Tiana sighed. "It's the least I could do, considering I have more than a lot of people have right now." She looked out towards the sunset, resting against the balcony railing. "Back home, I have my husband, my restaurant, my mama, and of course, my gator. I have everything. In fact, I think after all of this has calmed down, I'll be returning to my home in New Orleans."

"What? But what about your restaurant?"

"I've seen the look on Little Chef's face while he's in the kitchen. Reminds me of how I feel when customers enjoy my restaurant. So, I've decided I'll be handing over my restaurant to Little Chef since his was destroyed in the fires."

"Wow, that's amazing for you to do." Kairi said with a sigh.

Tiana's expression lowered as she rested a hand over her heart. "Maybe that's why my heart guided me here. It's almost like it knew something was going to happen, and this town needed me."

"Sounds like your light was calling to you."

"I don't doubt that, sugar. My daddy was always thinking of others before himself. When I was a little girl, all I wanted to do was be just like him. We were gonna open the finest restaurant in town, but he died before he could see our dream become a reality."

Kairi smiled with a heavy heart. "But he _has _seen it. He's seen it through your heart. Just like Sora has seen me grow during my recent travels, and he'll continue to see it." She pulled out her lucky charm and held it tightly. "With each piece I add to this, I feel closer and closer. But, for some reason, I still feel like there's something missing. Like, I feel like there's a part of me that I haven't discovered or awakened yet, and the more I learn, the more questions I have. You know what I mean?"

Tiana nodded. "There's always something to learn about ourselves every day. But all you gotta do, is dig a little deeper, and you'll find out who you are when you find out what you need."

"Hmm, I think I already know what I need." She curled her hand into a fist and held a serious expression. "I've decided, no more tears, no more grief, it's time to get serious now. Sora needs me right now."

"Honey, there's more to finding one's self than just finding love. Sometimes we discover this without thinking about it." Tiana smiled and rested a hand on Kairi's back. "I know you'll find what you're looking for, and it'll make you stronger."

Kairi nodded. "Thanks, Tiana." She looked down towards the base of Sunset Hill and saw Axel sitting on a boulder alone, facing the horizon. "But, I think my heart's telling me that there's one other person who needs me right now."

Taking the hint, Tiana nudged their plate of beignets towards Kairi. "Here, you might want these. The key to a man's heart is his stomach."

Kairi laughed as she took the plate. As a girl who had a lot of good guy friends, she knew all too well about the black hole appetite that most of them had. She climbed down the rooftop and took a stroll toward Sunset Hill. Even from a distance, Kairi could tell he was deep in thought. It was the exact same way he would sit during their training, hunched over and staring straight ahead. Usually at the end of the day, they would sit on the hill overlooking the forest and reflect on their day or share anything on their mind they felt comfortable with.

Axel gazed into the warm colors of the horizon, allowing them to reflect off his emerald green eyes. They almost looked like a forest fire, a reflection of that day's earlier events. He looked down at the ice cream stick he held in his hand. Upon its splintered surface, there was nothing. There was no winner this time around. His heart felt empty, but his mind was plagued with the screams of the town's locals in despair, the town he couldn't protect, the town he had let down that day.

"Hey Axel!" Kairi greeted as she approached him.

Axel snapped out of his deep thought and looked over at the perky-looking Kairi. "Hey…"

"You hungry?" She asked as she sat down and held out the plate of beignets. "Tiana's beignets are delicious. Sorry it's not ice cream, but they ran out of that."

"Nah, it's fine. Not really all that hungry anyway."

"What's wrong?"

Axel shrugged. "Just feeling like a failure, typical stuff, you know?"

"Hey! You are _not _a failure!" Kairi scolded him as if he just insulted her or one of her friends. "You deserve more credit than most, okay?"

"Kairi, have you not seen what happened today? I was supposed to protect the town and I let them down! Just like I let my friends down and I let Organization XIII down…"

"Axel, please, stop." She pleaded. "Look at the people around you." Her eyes studied Axel's face as he turned and noticed the many locals that were sitting around eating Tiana's gumbo and beignets and talking amongst themselves. "Look at how many lives you helped save. Instead of looking at what you lost, look at what you still have. Life is too precious to let your failures get to to you."

Axel sighed as he returned the eye contact to her. "When did _you_ get so smart?"

Kairi giggled. "Let's just say...I'm starting to see everything in a whole new light now." She stared up into the sky. "And now that I have, I think I'm ready. No matter what happens, I'll always have my friends beside me, and this journey, I don't have to go at it alone."

"I just...I don't know. I don't know what to feel." Axel leaned back. "I felt so sure of everything after we defeated Xehanort. I felt that as long as Roxas and Xion were with me, we were untouchable. Guess I was wrong about that."

"What are you talking about? You three are inseparable." She rested a hand on his shoulder. "Roxas and Xion overcame all odds and are now living their own lives. Even if you separated, it was at least temporary, right?"

"Yeah. Poor Roxas and Xion, though. They're so upset by this."

"Hey, Twilight Town can be rebuilt just like Radiant Garden was. We'll get the restoration committee to come help you guys out." Kairi suggested.

"No need to." Axel smiled while shaking his head. "Because I'll start one myself. Together, we'll rebuild our home, the way it's meant to be. Then, I can finally say I've atoned for my past mistakes and can forgive myself."

"That sounds great!" She smiled widely. "Hey, no matter what anyone says, you'll always be a hero to me, got it memorized?"

Axel snickered, nudging Kairi and pointing to his temple. "Yep, _very _memorized."

The two redheads shared a laugh before being distracted by the sounds of small footprints running toward them. Kairi looked over and saw that it was Bolt. She was surprised to see him in as good of shape as he was considering he suffered from the fire just as much as she had. Then again, she had no idea he had super powers either. Bolt dashed over to Kairi, barking happily and hopping into her lap. She laughed and began scratching the sides of his face while Axel began rubbing his back. He was a definite softie for animals, despite never really showing it to anyone.

"Hey Bolt! You're looking much better! How's Penny?" Kairi asked.

Bolt sat in front of her, panting happily. "Yeah, I recovered okay. Besides, a burning building's never stopped this dog before. And Penny, she's at the hospital, but she's recovering just fine." He walked forward and nuzzled her legs. "I...I can't thank you enough for saving her."

"Anytime, but you helped too. You're one strong pup." She said while petting him on the head.

"Thanks, Kairi." He barked. "So, I talked to that friend of yours that helped us out. Riku...right?" She nodded. "Well, actually, he talked and I kinda just sat there and listened. He mentioned you were on a dangerous journey to save someone you love."

Kairi sighed while nodding. "He's not wrong. It is dangerous, but I'll pull through."

"Well, I was thinking. You helped me save someone I love, so I want to help you." Bolt said with a serious expression on his face.

"Really?" She perked up.

"Yeah! Anytime you need me, I'll be there at the speed of light!"

Deciding to take up on Bolt's offer, Kairi tapped on her watched before holding her wrist in front of him. The watch scanned him and transferred all of his data. She watched as a thunderbolt icon appeared next to the magic lamp icon that represented Genie. Kairi thanked him graciously before he hurried back off to be by Penny's side, leaving her and Axel to finally enjoy the beignets that she had brought down to him. Even Isa, who was keeping to himself in his own little corner, couldn't resist and came over to enjoy the company and the beignets.

Further down the street, Roxas leaned against a railing and gazed upon the smoke that continued to rise from the ashes of the destroyed town. Much like Axel, he too felt empty. Although he was taken into Organization XIII for a year, Twilight Town felt more like a home to him than anywhere else. He could never take a walk to the sandlot without being reminded that someone was heartless enough to destroy innocent people's homes. Roxas bent down and picked up a stick, being reminded of simpler times in Twilight Town, back when all he had to worry about was either killing some Heartless or getting his summer homework done. Groaning, he chucked the stick back, nearly hitting Namine, who was walking toward him.

"Roxas?"

Roxas looked over and saw her. "N-Namine? S-Sorry..."

"It's okay. Mind if I join you?" She asked, her hands behind her back. Roxas shook his head as she stood next to him. "How are you feeling? I know Axel and Xion are feeling pretty down."

"Namine...this place was my home, even if it wasn't half the time, it felt like it." He rested a hand over his heart. "So many memories were created, even if those memories were...forgotten...for a time. For an entire week, I thought I lived a normal life here. Just when I finally belong...somebody has to come along and take it away." Roxas' eyebrows furrowed as he gritted his teeth. "Whoever did this is gonna pay."

Namine nodded, holding her head low. "I know all about that, not belonging."

"Right...you _do _know." Roxas sighed as he stared off into the horizon, avoiding eye contact with her. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"For not keeping my promise." Roxas finally turned and locked eyes with Namine. "The one we made about us being together, just like Sora and Kairi." He looked down at his hands that were gripping the railing. "I don't get it. What happened? It seemed like after we returned to our original somebodies, everything changed between us. I...missed you."

Namine sighed, looking away from him. "I know, but it wasn't your fault, it wasn't anybody's fault."

"Then why did everything change?"

"Roxas, do you remember one day, before Sora left for his Mark of Mastery exam, when Sora was telling Kairi about a dream that he had about a girl he was unfamiliar with?"

Roxas thought for a moment. "Yeah...I _do _remember that. I was confused by that too."

"Once he described her-a girl who looked like Kairi, but had black hair instead-I knew exactly who he was talking about, and why he was having the dreams. "

"Xion…" He muttered.

"Roxas, when I learned that you were having dreams about Xion through Sora's subconscious, that was when I knew. I knew that no matter what, I couldn't replace Xion in your heart, just like I couldn't replace Kairi in Sora's." Namine explained.

"But, I couldn't even remember Xion for a while."

"You seem to forget that memories are never truly lost, even if they're forgotten. Even if you forgot Xion, the memories still lingered there, and Sora's connection with Kairi, which was what Xion's creation was based on, was only the beginning of you and Axel both recovering your memories. Truly, your mind cried for me, but your heart cried for Xion."

Roxas sighed as he held his head low. "How is it that you seem to know all of this and I can't even figure out my own feelings?"

Namine smiled and rested her hand over her heart. "I was technically created from both Sora and Kairi. I have the advantage of being connected to two instead of one. I've seen it from both sides. The bond that you and Xion share significantly reflects theirs." She paused and rested a hand on his arm. "Roxas, do you remember the hurt you felt after you and Sora joined again?"

"Y-yeah...I do remember. I shared that with Sora not long after that."

"When your heart joined with Sora's so did your memories. They came into contact with Sora's memories of Kairi, and because that's what initially created Xion, that's how you started to remember her in your mind and in your heart."

"Namine…" Roxas muttered her name.

Namine shook her head. "You'll figure this out in due time. In the meantime, go talk to Xion. She's feeling pretty down about Twilight Town as well."

"Yeah, you're right." Roxas said with a smile. "Have you seen her?" He asked. Namine pointed up to the top of Sunset Hill where Xion as laying at the top. "Okay, I'll go see her."

"Wait, you might need this." She said pulling out a seasalt ice cream bar. Roxas tilted his head as he took the ice cream from her. "It was the last one. She does love her ice cream."

"Right, thanks Namine."

"Sure. Oh, and Roxas." Namine reached forward and cradled his hand in hers. "You'll always have a special place in my heart, and I'll never forget you."

Roxas smiled tenderly. "And you'll always have a special place here too."

The two former Nobodies released each other's grip before Namine watched Roxas begin making his way toward the tall hill. She could tell that his heart was more full ever since Xion had returned, and she was happy. It didn't do her any good for Roxas to be unhappy and hurting over the loss of her. Namine sighed as she took a seat on the bench and took out her sketchbook. She began a brand new sketch, one that she intended on keeping not necessarily for artistic appreciation, or even to chronicle her travels, but for safekeeping. It started off with Roxas, and right next to him, she drew Xion, sitting very close to him, with the two of them gazing off to the warm horizon.

"There." Namine said softly with a smile. "Now, you'll never forget each other ever again."

Roxas reached the top of the hill and there she was, isolating herself from others like she had done in the past. He sighed, biting gently on his bottom lower lip. He knew how crushed she was, as much as he was, and yet, he didn't know what to say. Roxas had hoped that Xion already got the heaviest of her emotions out already, but considering she didn't want to be around him or Axel, meant there was still more building up. Roxas knew better than most to know that Xion bottling up her emotions wasn't a good idea. He cared about her, more than anything. He had to do something before she hurt herself.

"Xion," Roxas softly muttered as he approached her.

"You weren't supposed to find me up here." Xion said bitterly as she flipped her hood down. "How'd you know I was up here?"

"Uh...well, considering we're best friends, it's not hard to pick you out from the crowd." He took a seat next to her. "It feels like a large chunk of us is missing, doesn't it?" He asked as he stared off towards the sunset.

Xion sighed, staring down at the ground and folding her hands together. "Roxas...it's not just the town. I thought that I could finally live my own normal life, but instead, I live a life where everything continues to slip away from me." She stood up, gripping her Keyblade tightly and walking away from him.

"Where are you going?"

"First, it was my sense of identity, and then it was my friends, and now, my home." She screamed in anguish and threw her Keyblade onto the ground. Tears formed in her eyes as her body started shaking and she collapsed onto her knees. "What else are they gonna take from me?" She yelled as her cheeks became stained from her falling tears.

"Xion!" Roxas hopped onto his feet and rushed over to her side.

Before he could have time to say anything, Xion lurched forward and collapsed into Roxas' arms. He found himself breathless as Xion buried her face into his shoulder, sobbing. He had never seen Xion like this before and wasn't sure how to react. Remembering what Namine had said about listening to his heart, Roxas did just that and wrapped his arms around Xion, holding her tightly. His face nuzzled into her hair as he ran a hand up and down her back.

"It's okay, Xion." Roxas whispered.

As she was held, Xion's body started to relax as did her breathing. It was as if she no longer had a reason to cry as long as Roxas was there with her. The overwhelming warm feeling in her heart spread to her face as her cheeks began to flush pink and a small smile began to form on her face. Feeling her body relax, Roxas sighed, a small smile forming on his face. He was in no hurry to let her go, enjoying the feeling of her petite body resting against his. Roxas couldn't explain it. It just felt...right. He wondered if Sora felt the same way whenever he held Kairi and if he did, he understood why.

Xion rested in Roxas' embrace and thought back to their past experiences in the organization. She thought back to how he always had her back, even during the times when she couldn't have his back, or even when there was tension between them and Axel. Even back when she was just a "puppet", Roxas saw past that. She gasped as she could feel her heart pounding against her chest and a shortage of breath. Hearing her small gasps for air, he broke the embrace and studied her face, a mix of confusion, relief, and infatuation painted on it.

"You okay?" Roxas asked.

"I'll be alright. Thanks, Roxas." Xion smiled and nodded as she wiped her tears. "Can we just sit here a while? Away from everyone else?"

"Yeah, of course."

Xion sat comfortably next to Roxas and the two of them watched the sunset, listening to all of the commotion below them. "You know what's strange? Suddenly, the world looks beautiful."

Roxas shook his head. "No, that's not strange at all. I...I know what you mean."

"It's just too bad this feeling won't last forever. Soon enough, you and Axel will have to live with this while I'm away with Kairi, and then when I get back…"

"You know what? It _can _last." Roxas' face softened as the two made eye contact. He took her hands in his. "When I saw Twilight Town burning earlier, I thought I lost everything. But, sitting here with you, I've realized that's not the case." He smiled tenderly.

"Roxas…" Xion muttered softly while lightly gripping the pendant he gave her. "I'm sorry I couldn't protect you in the past."

"Forget the past. It happened. All we can do now is focus on now and the future."

"Aren't you afraid of what could happen?"

"Nah," Roxas laughed as he shook his head. "The future doesn't scare me at all. I know what it feels like to lose everything, and as long as you're here, I'll never feel that way again."

Xion's cheeks began to flush pink. She turned away out of embarrassment and shyness, which only left Roxas laughing out of pure bliss that he had that effect on her. Their hands stayed locked, enjoying the warmth and union they felt from contact. Sitting with him, Xion realized Roxas was right. She didn't need anything else as long as he was there. She started to drift off into a daze as Kairi's voice started to echo through her mind. Xion instantly started to think back to when Kairi explained to her what love had felt like. She remembered what she had said about how her body would react. Xion gasped as she looked into Roxas' eyes, wondering if maybe, just maybe, this was what Kairi was talking about.

"Oh! Hey, I got something for you." Roxas said before pulling out the seasalt ice cream bar and holding it out for her.

"Ice cream?" Xion asked, tilting an eyebrow.

"It's the last one, and it's your favorite food." He said while handing it over.

"It's your favorite too." Her face flushed pink as her eyes darted between Roxas' face and the ice cream. "You know, we could always...share it?" She offered as she held it between them.

"Are...are you sure?" Roxas asked, his face glowing as much as hers. She softly giggled with a nod, only for him to return with a warm smile. "Okay...Xion."

Roxas wrapped his hand on top of Xion's, gripping the ice cream bar. Each of them leaned their faces toward a corner of the frozen treat. Together, they bit down into the ice cream before quickly bringing their faces back, almost as if they realized just how close they were to each other based on the fact that their noses brushed against each other. As the ice cream melted in their mouths, Xion brought the ice cream down to her side so she could get a better look at Roxas' face. Although both of them were lost in a whirlwind of emotions, they turned off their thoughts and just enjoyed each other's presence. Unbeknownst to them though, Kairi, Axel, and Namine were all watching from the base of the hill, and were very satisfied to see Xion in better spirits again.

"They're cute together." Namine said softly smiling.

Kairi nodded. "Yeah. Xion may not know it yet, but she'll learn about love at her own pace. Same with Roxas."

"You're right, Kairi." She said with a softened tone.

"Namine, that was a brave thing to do, letting Roxas go." Kairi sad while resting a hand on her shoulder.

"Thanks Kairi, but I didn't just do it because I knew his heart yearned for Xion." Namine rested a hand on his chest. "Just like I couldn't replace Xion in Roxas' heart, and I couldn't replace you in Sora's, Roxas couldn't replace…"

"Riku." Kairi finished for Namine. "The one who promised to protect you." She smiled softly. "Well, there are certain people we can never replace in each others' hearts, but I know there's plenty of room to keep everyone in their own special place. You, Xion, Roxas, Riku, even Axel!" She laughed.

Axel folded his arms. "Does this mean I gotta keep a sharper eye on them now?" He looked down at Kairi. "This means you're gonna have to give them _the talk_."

"Sorry, you took them in, they're _your _kids, _you _have to do it." She rolled her eyes and turned her face away from him. "Besides, I already taught Namine and Xion the monthly tortures of being a woman, so now the rest is up to you."

"When did I suddenly become a father?" He asked, rubbing his temples.

While Kairi and Namine continued to poke fun at Axel, Riku had retreated to one of the rooftop balconies. As much as he enjoyed the company of his friends, he needed to be alone. Then again, that never surprised Kairi considering he was like that even as a child. He gazed down at the base of Sunset Hill and watched the two girls laugh. Two hearts, two smiles, two sets of eyes that could hypnotize the darkest of hearts. One with hair that glowed with the afternoon sun and one with hair that glowed like a rose against the warm colors of dusk. Each of them holding a special place in his heart.

Riku watched as Kairi poked Axel in the side and broke down in laughter. He chuckled and smiled, reminding him of when they were younger, and how mischievous she had grown into. Riku even specifically one moment where he was sitting under a tree at school trying to study, and Kairi snuck up behind him and poked him in the sides. It was sneaky of her, and he could only laugh afterwards. Riku could see the childlike innocence in Kairi's eyes. His eyes couldn't lie. Behind all of the pain and tears she shed over the past few months, Riku could see past that and saw the same girl he grew up with. He saw the same girl who always believed in him. It was the same girl he crushed on as a young kid for many years, but could never muster up the courage to say anything, because he knew, deep down, she didn't return the same feelings for him.

"Her red hair glows like a rose against the sunset." A deep voice echoed into Riku's ear. "Now, where have I heard that before?" Riku gasped, snapping him out of his gaze. "Such words for one worthy of the title of 'princess'. Is that right?"

"I know that voice…" Riku muttered under his breath, his teeth gritting. "Come out and show yourself to me...Ansem…"

Before Riku, a dark portal opened up, and from within, Ansem, the seeker of darkness, emerged. He still retained his appearance that Riku could never erase from his mind. Ansem's long silver hair blew in the wind as the portal vanished from behind, leaving the two enemies facing off on the rooftops without anyone else to witness.

"It's been too long, Riku." Ansem sneered as his orange orbs locked intensely with Riku's.

"Why are you here? This doesn't make any sense! We got rid of you months ago! We got rid of you and Xemnas and Xehanort's younger self!"

"You seem to have forgotten so soon. Most of Xehanort's Organization XIII was made up of replicas, retrieving those hearts from the past, mine included."

Riku furrowed his eyebrows, his nose twitching at the foul stench of darkness that loomed. "Even if it was a replica that I defeated, Sora and I have defeated you more times than I care to keep track, and yet, you're still here. So much for that 'heartfelt goodbye'." He snarkily remarked. "Should I expect Xemnas and the younger Xehanort to join you? Maybe we can bring back the old man himself. I'm always up for a good old rehash." Riku sarcastically spat out as he summoned Braveheart.

Ansem chuckled. "Two years, I have lingered inside your heart, and yet, I know more than even you know about yourself."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Think back to that fateful day when your island disappeared, and you were stranded _all alone_ at the falls of Hollow Bastion's ruins."

Riku sighed, his eyes staring at the ground. "I remember that day. I remember all of it. I remember Maleficent manipulating me into thinking Sora didn't care about me or Kairi."

"We both know it was _more _than that." Ansem sneered.

Stepping closer, Ansem held a hand up in front of Riku's forehead, allowing the two of them to see into Riku's memories. It was memories of the past. There were memories Riku and Kairi chasing each other around as kids, working on the raft together, and sitting on the beach laughing. These were always memories that Riku cherished, despite his and Kairi's friendship changing over the past few years. Even some of the most recent memories were some Riku kept close to his heart. He remembered when he had given himself completely to the darkness to save Sora and became Ansem, but Kairi still saw through his facade and knew it was him just based on his heart. He recalled how happy she was when he and Sora were home, and even remembered watching her train with Axel before the battle with Xehanort.

The memories soon faded into memories of Sora and Kairi together. Riku saw the memories of a young Sora and Kairi carving their faces into the secret place, Kairi teasing Sora for sleeping on the ground like the lazy bum he was, Sora and Kairi sitting on the pier the night their island was destroyed. He saw the memories of Kairi giving Sora her lucky charm all those times, Sora sharing the paopu fruit with Kairi, and the heartbroken look on Sora's face when Xehanort took Kairi's life right before his eyes. The more he saw into the memories, the more Riku's heart began to grow heavy. The last memory was the one with Kairi sitting with Sora during his last few moments before vanishing. Riku yanked back and held his Keyblade out.

"What was the point of that, Ansem?" He yelled.

"You truly still don't understand, Riku." Ansem held out his hand, directing it towards Riku's heart. "The answer was in those memories."

"The answer to what?"

"What was your motivation for turning to darkness?" Ansem asked.

Riku thought back to two years ago, after he was separated from Sora and Kairi. He remembered when he confronted Sora about him "forgetting" about him and Kairi because of Donald and Goofy. He remembered Maleficent manipulating him into capturing the Princesses of Heart by offering Kairi's body in exchange. Even as a lifeless shell, Riku was willing to go at any lengths to save her. His desperation was enough to jeopardize his lifelong friendship with Sora, and even nearly cost his life multiple times. He started to put the pieces together, and remembered what pushed him to be one with the darkness.

"I wanted...to save Kairi…" Riku muttered.

Ansem turned his back and stared up at the sky. "Wouldn't you agree that a person's heart often yearns for the heart of another?"

"Yeah, that's how relationships are formed. One heart has a strong connection to the other."

"Therefore, if a heart's connection should be destroyed, surely that heart would search for another."

"Kairi…" Riku softly said.

"That girl, Namine, what a striking resemblance." Ansem chuckled as he circled behind Riku. "Our minds have a way of interfering with our hearts."

"My connections with Namine and Kairi are none of your business, so if you know what's good for you, you'd go back to where you belong."

"I'll go...for now. But remember this, darkness always lingers inside our hearts, no matter how much we try to fight it."

Riku scoffed as Ansem retreated back into a dark tunnel, leaving him in his wallowing thoughts. He knew well that his darkness was there to stay, but he knew how to control it, and he wouldn't give into it.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Aros returned back to Luxu's headquarters, hoping to avoid running into either him or Kaguya. His chest was pounding harder than ever before and his breathing was short. His head grew light and the room started spinning as he arrived. He fell to his knees as his entire body trembled. It started to feel like a knife was stabbing right into the side of his head. Aros began moaning in pain as memories started to flash through his mind.

"Sora…" Aros muttered.

First, it was a memory of Sora on the night with Destiny Islands was destroyed. Riku was being swallowed by the darkness, and Sora ran forward to try and pull him out. He watched the memory of him running into where Kairi was in their secret place and catching her as she flew right into him. The memory flashes grew faster, ranging from Sora's humble beginnings with Donald and Goofy, some of Sora's more recent encounters with Roxas in The World That Never Was, reuniting with Riku and Kairi in said world, and helping Riku finish off Xemnas. It felt like somebody was dumping bricks on top of his head and all he wanted was for it to end. Lucky for him, Kaguya showed up through a portal at just the right moment.

"Aros!" Kaguya cried as she ran forward. She fell to her knees by his side. "Aros? What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just get out of here! I don't need you to see me like this!" He yelled while shaking his head, avoiding eye contact with her.

"I can't! You're hurt!"

"So? Isn't that all I'm meant to do? Hurt? Hurt other people? Hurt myself?" Aros' breathing started to calm down. "How'd you even know I was here?"

"I don't know." She answered softly. "I just somehow knew you were hurt, and I started to feel really scared. Suddenly, I wanted to find you."

"See? I even hurt you. That's all I do, is hurt." He muttered.

Kaguya shook her head. "That's not true." She took his hand and held it in hers. "You don't hurt me. You're...different, unique, like a flower."

Aros chuckled. "I'm not sure if I'm even close to a flower. If I am, I guess I'm a bit of a late bloomer in the master's eyes then. Things haven't exactly gone our way."

"Hmmm, didn't you say the flower that blooms the latest ends up being the most beautiful?"

"Yeah...I guess I did say that. I wasn't really intending for that statement to relate to me though. I was more or less talking about…" He stared at Kaguya's helmet for a moment before shaking his head. "Never mind."

"Were you...were you talking about me?" Kaguya asked as she rested a hand against her chest.

Aros shrugged his shoulders. "Kind of…"

"So, you think I'm beautiful?" She paused waiting for Aros to answer. "But, you don't even know what I look like."

"Maybe not, but I vaguely remember learning not too long ago that it's not always about appearances. True beauty comes from within."

Kaguya brushed her hand along her arm. "I never thought of it that way."

"Goes to show how much the master really knows." Aros' eyes darted between his locked hand and Kaguya's face. "You can...let go of my hand now. You don't have to hold it anymore."

"Are you sure?"

"Actually…" He softly muttered as he gently tightened his grip. "This is...kind of nice. Your hand...it...feels warm."

"Warm? Is that a good thing?" Kaguya asked, tempted to bring her hand back.

Aros nodded. "Yeah, it's a really good thing. The heat...it kinda travels all throughout your body when that happens." He chuckled with amusement. "You know what I mean?"

"Y-Yeah...I actually do know what you mean. She laughed softly. "I can...feel it right now."

"Do you...feel anything else?"

Kaguya was silent, holding her head low. Aros watched her, assuming she was in deep thought. He expected it, considering she was someone who wasn't all that familiar with feelings. He also wasn't bothered by it. Something about having her there was enough to make him forget all of the pain he had experienced only moments before. Kaguya stared down at the ground and noticed that the floor had started spinning slightly, but not enough that it would cause her to collapse. In fact, she didn't feel uncomfortable at all. She wanted to question how that was possible, but decided this was already a tough enough question to answer.

"I...I guess I feel...a little...dizzy." Kaguya muttered. "I feel...warmth."

Aros tilted his head. "Warmth...you mean like...light?"

"I don't know…" Her body began to tremble. "I'm...also afraid."

"What are you afraid of?"

"..." She didn't answer him.

"Kaguya?" He muttered her name, gently tugging her hand towards him.

Kaguya breathed deeply before looking directly at Aros. "I'm afraid...that one day you'll go away…and never come back." She answered softly.

Aros sighed and, for once, actually smiling tenderly. "I'm not going anywhere. I don't have anywhere else to go. We're in this together, remember?" He reached into his pouch and pulled out the crescent moon rock that Kaguya gave to him not that long ago. It was now attached to leather string.

"You kept that?" She asked, smiling.

"Y-Yeah...I don't know why. I just...felt like hanging onto it...I guess." He stammered. "Anyway, how about we make this our promise? Like a...like a…"

Kaguya thought for a moment before perking up. "Like a lucky charm?"

"Sure, we can call it that. As long as I hang onto this, we'll always stick together."

"Promise?" She asked.

"Promise." Aros said with a nod.

The two of them sat on the floor, their hands still locked. Aros gazed down at the rock, the warmth in his body spreading to his chest. _No more...broken promises. _He muttered inside of his head. Kaguya watched as he put the rock back in his pouch. All she wanted to do was smile. This feeling was new. She felt warm instead of cold. Her heart felt full instead of empty. She wanted to think about things she liked such as dogs, flowers, and ice cream instead of the negativity Luxu had shoved down her throat when he first found her. Speak of the devil, Luxu turned up before Kaguya could get too deep into her thoughts. Aros and Kaguya quickly released their grip and shuffled back onto their feet.

"Hey, you didn't do too bad, Seven." Luxu jested.

"Kaguya…" Aros corrected him.

"Whatever. Anyway, keep that up, and soon enough, we'll have her right where we want her."

"What was the point of us going after her friends?" Aros asked. "And you had Kairi cornered. You could've just taken care of her yourself."

Luxu chuckled. "My, how the tables have turned. Now who's the one that wants to 'rush the fun' and get things out of the way?"

"I just don't understand what your plan is. You wanted us to capture her and now you don't?"

"Aros, dude, it's a little something called, 'being flexible'. You should try it sometime." Luxu rested his hand on Kaguya's shoulder. "This adorable thing knows what I'm talking about, right?"

Kaguya paused for a moment before nodding. "Y-Yes, Master?"

Aros groaned and folded his arms. "Fine. What is it that you want?"

"Honestly, just keep doing what you're doing." He answered while shrugging his shoulders.

"So, you just want us to keep…" Kaguya began to ask.

"Playing 'Cat and Mouse'?" Aros asked smugly.

"See? You get me!"

"This is stupid! I'm sure even Xehanort had better plans than this."

Luxu growled before summoning his Keyblade and pointing it toward Aros. "That old man is rotting in his grave now and has nothin' to do with this, so you'd better watch it. I could've easily helped him out, but why bother? He kept on getting beaten up by a kid."

"And you didn't?" Aros asked sarcastically.

"Hmph…" He grumbled as he brought his Keyblade closer, his hand running along it. "This was what I needed. It was only a matter of time before this Keyblade would be mine again. Now that it's back in the hands of its rightful owner, I can finally see through that the master's prophecy comes true."

"The master?" Kaguya asked. "Who is this master?"

"Only the most powerful Keyblade master that ever lived. He had big plans...for all of us. But everything changed when the Foretellers turned on each other."

"What are you saying?" Aros asked, his voice sounding concerned.

Luxu sighed, gripping his Keyblade tightly. "The next Keyblade war is among us...and this is only the first step. The Master of Masters will return one day, and when he does, we'll be ready for him."

Kaguya stepped forward. "What does this have to do with Kairi?"

"Don't worry about it. The important thing is we have her exactly where we want her."

"She's gotten stronger." She muttered.

"Exactly!" Luxu pumped a fist. "And I've finally figured out the key. We attack her weakness, and after that, it's only a matter of time before she…"

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

After parting ways with everyone in Twilight Town, Riku and Kairi decided to try and go visit Master Yen Sid and see if he knew anything about Luxu, much like how he knew enough about Xehanort to guide them in the right direction. Riku decided to ride in the gummi ship with the girls while they warped back to Disney Castle to pick up Mickey. On the way, Riku gave him a call explaining what happened in Twilight Town, which only brought up more concern with the already stressed out king. Not only did another world suffer from destruction by another possible large threat, but now one of their plans to save Sora had no chance anymore.

Once arriving at Yen Sid's chamber, everyone updated him on what they had discovered. They shared that Ven was saved, but also Kairi had encountered Luxu at Twilight Town. Now that they had a name to the figure, and knew that he was the one who went after Ven, it only raised more questions among the friends.

"So, you have discovered who that hooded figure was?" Yen Sid asked.

Kairi nodded. "Yes. His name is Luxu. He didn't exactly make everything clear, but I think he might have something to do with Sora's disappearance too."

"Considering Ven's connection to Sora, that wouldn't surprise me." Riku mentioned. "Master, do you know anything about this Luxu person?"

Yen Sid sighed, his face scrunching up. "That name, one that has floated around many times in my younger years."

"WHAAAAT?" Everyone asked in unison.

"Master! Tell us everything!" Mickey requested.

"I only know what my own master has shared with me, Xehanort, and Eraqus. Luxu was one of six apprentices of a great Keyblade master. One that possessed such power that even the most knowledgeable masters have yet to uncover."

Riku curled his hand into a fist. "Who was this master?"

"His name is unknown, but his apprentices, all of whom were referred to as The Foretellers, as well as the leaders of the five unions that separated the Keyblade wielders during the age of fairy tales, referred to him as...The Master of Masters." Yen Sid said in a low tone.

"The Master of Masters…" Kairi repeated.

"Without any warning, The Master of Masters vanished, leaving Luxu, and the rest of his apprentices to engage in a great Keyblade war. One that would have destroyed the world…"

"But the world was rebuilt because of the light in the hearts of children." Kairi finished. "I remember this from my grandma's story. This sounds like the same story she told me." She held her head low, deep in thought. "Everything about it...was true." She perked her head up as a thought hit her. "Master, if Luxu is still alive, do you think The Foretellers are?"

Yen Sid shook his head. "I'm afraid I cannot answer that. The fact that Luxu still exists today is unexpected." He answered, earning some hopeless sighs. "However, if The Foretellers were as powerful as their stories have foretold, then I wouldn't doubt it."

"Even if we don't know anything about The Foretellers, we can at least focus on Luxu." Namine suggested.

"Yep, he has to have some connection to Organization XIII if he was wearing a coat." Mickey claimed with confidence.

"How would we know though?" Riku asked.

"I don't remember a Luxu though." Xion mentioned. "I would've known. I was the last member to join, so he couldn't have been a 15th member."

"Xehanort had a way of recording all of his research and discoveries into extensive secret reports." Yen Sid pointed out. "There is always the possibility that there could be crucial information regarding Luxu in those reports."

"Maybe we should check it out!" Mickey suggested.

Riku nodded in agreement. "Yeah. We can probably find those reports somewhere in Radiant Garden's library. The sooner we figure this out, the better. It's obvious Luxu is dangerous if he was the one who destroyed Twilight Town like that."

"Good idea." Namine nodded in agreement.

"What can we do to help?" Kairi asked.

"You should continue collecting the pieces to your charm. With the replica project not going through, this might be our only chance of saving Sora." Riku said while resting a hand on her shoulder.

Mickey nodded with an assuring smile. "Sora needs your help more than the rest of us. We'll take care of the dirty work."

"Are you sure?" She asked, feeling uncertain.

"Kairi," Yen Sid spoke up. "You have made great progress in your quest. All there is left to do is complete it. The key to restoring lost hearts is an unbreakable connection. Any disruptions can mean the difference between triumph and failure."

Kairi furrowed her eyebrows and nodded. "Then I'll keep going. I can still feel Sora, and I know our connection is still strong." She reached into her pouch and pulled out her lucky charm. "We're just about halfway there."

"Then let's move out, girls!" Xion encouraged.

Yen Sid nodded as the girls all stood straightened up. "Kairi, the challenges that you, Namine, and Xion face will continue to grow. It is highly critical that you remain focused on what matters the most, even in the darkest times."

With a serious expression on her face, Kairi nodded affirmatively. She looked to Namine and Xion for approval, indicating it was time for the trio to be on their way again. Riku and Mickey wished them good luck before parting ways with them. The boys suited up in their Keyblade armor and began to fly off on their gliders while the girls boarded their ship and pulled up the radar, checking the remaining seashell locations. There were seven left, all scattered about throughout the world lanes. Namine noticed there was a new highway close to their location where there were seashells. With everyone's approval, she marked the closest shell location on the radar, and the ship was off.

As the ship continued on its lengthy quest toward their next destination, Kairi sat in the pilot's seat, tapping rhythmically on the dashboard. Namine and Xion couldn't help but notice how perky she was, which was more than usual, especially during a ride on the gummi ship. Xion was playing a game on her phone, Namine was sketching, and Chirithy was over at the cappuccino machine, as usual, drinking his coffee.

"Wow Kairi, you're awfully perky today." Xion chuckled with amusement.

Chirithy sighed as he patted his stomach. "Probably because she was _smart _and joined me in a coffee binge."

"Okay, how much coffee have you had to drink today, Chirithy?" Xion asked as she put her hands on her hips.

"This is only my fifth! Can I help it if I love coffee?" He asked as he tightly hugged the cup closer to him. "It's so warm, and makes me feel so good! I just love coffee so much!" He sighed, as if he were talking about someone he was in love with.

"No, it's not that." Kairi laughed while turning back in her seat. "I'm just ready to get moving, that's all. Besides, if I'm going to be ready the next time I encounter Luxu, I need to work on getting stronger now. Just like how Sora's fought for me in the past, I'm gonna have to fight for him too."

"True, but I thought you were strong enough already." Namine mentioned while moving a hair behind her ear.

"Thanks Namine, but a few simple magic spells and a few Keyblade wielding tricks aren't enough."

Before the ship could get too quiet inside, Kairi began getting a call on her phone. The number looked unfamiliar, but was curious anyway. She tapped the green answer icon and much to her delight, was someone she had been meaning to check in with.

"Ven! Hey!" Kairi greeted him happily.

"Hey Kairi, the gang set me with a new gummi phone, so I thought I'd test it out." Ven greeted back. "How are you holding up?"

"Pretty well, all things considered."

Aqua appeared on the phone screen with Ven. "Riku got in touch with us and mentioned everything that happened at Twilight Town. I'm so glad all three of you are okay."

"Yeah, we survived. A few cuts and bruises here and there, but typical stuff." Kairi laughed sheepishly. "Oh! Did Riku mention that we ran into Ven's little 'friend' in Twilight Town?"

"Who?" They both asked in unison.

"Luxu, he tried to set up a trap for me."

"So, it wasn't just me then." Ven muttered with a frown.

Kairi curled her hand into a fist. "I think Luxu may have something to do with what happened to Sora, but he's not spitting out any details. Aqua, do you know anything?"

Aqua shook her head. "I don't, but if he was behind that destruction on Twilight Town, Ven and I will keep an extra eye on Radiant Garden, and talk to Ansem and Ienzo about increasing the town's security, especially with the festival coming up soon."

"You're not going after him, are you?" Ven asked, his voice full of concern.

"No, Riku and Mickey are headed your way to try and see if they can find Xehanort's secret reports. They believe it's possible if Xehanort and Luxu have a connection, they'll be able to find something in those reports." Kairi explained. "Meanwhile, I'm still working with Namine and Xion to try and save Sora. If Luxu's as dangerous as Xehanort was, we'll need _everyone_."

Chirithy popped in front of Kairi and blocked the phone screen. "Don't worry! I'll make sure she doesn't do anything reckless!"

"Chirithy! Good to see you buddy! I can see you've been a big help." Ven laughed.

"What would these girls do without me?"

"Excuse you?" All three of them asked in unison.

"Eh...gotta go!" Chirithy laughed sheepishly before vanishing.

Kairi sighed and shook her head. "Well, we're approaching our next destination, so we'll catch up with you later!"

"Okay, good luck!" Ven waved before hanging up.

"So, it looks like everyone's on the same boat?" Xion asked.

Kairi nodded. "Yep! Girls, we're just getting started!" She zoomed in on the radar and saw they were approaching the stratosphere of a brand new world. "Prepare for landing!" She commanded as she began buckling her seatbelt.

"Aye aye, captain!" Namine saluted as she and Xion buckled in.

"Alright!" Kairi smiled widely as she began tapping buttons on the console. "And away...we... go!"

The Falcon blasted forward, piercing the stratosphere into the next destination. Kairi gripped the controls tightly as they grew closer to the world's surface. She knew despite how much progress the girls had made, it was time to get serious and kick their journey into high gear.

* * *

**A/N: I just realized how much hand holding there was in this chapter lol BUT AWWWW YEAH! Next Disney world and it's the one I'm the most excited about! I'll see you guys soon!**


	33. Law and Order

**A/N: Yikes! Between a new job, my artwork, and a trip to the ER, it's about time I got this chapter out! Enjoy everyone!**

* * *

Chapter 33: Law and Order

Once the gummi ship was parked, the transporter activated and sent Kairi, Namine, and Xion to their next destination. Lucky for them, it was a safe and easy landing for them, even if the location was quite strange for their usual taste. Of all places the ship could transport them to, it was an ally. While the girls were no strangers to allies, they would've preferred it so they could at least have an idea of where they had ended up. Choosing not to waste anytime, Kairi led Namine and Xion down the darker path. Not being a longer path, it didn't take long for them to enter the larger than life city that they would be travelling.

Kairi gasped as she looked up and rotated her entire body around. Buildings towered above her, making the ones in Destiny Islands look tiny. Cars zoomed by at various speeds, keeping the streets very busy. To her left, Kairi saw the station that housed the largest trains she had ever seeing, and to her right were digital billboards with various advertisements cycling through. The most impressive aspect of the city, the one thing that had her completely shocked, was the residents that inhabited the city. Her eyes watched as various anthropomorphic mammals of various species travelled from point A to point B in different directions, some on foot, some in cars.

"Whoaaa! I've never seen any place this huge before in my entire life!" Kairi marveled.

Xion shrugged. "I have, it's called Twilight Town."

"Forget the large city, look at the residents!" Namine gasped, pointing out the crowd.

Kairi's eyes widened. "You're right...what kind of place is...HUH?" She gasped as she looked down and saw that her human hands were now four-toed paws. She bent all the way down and saw that her feet were the same and that her legs were now covered in light brown-colored fur. Kairi hurried over to a puddle of water and looked into it, loudly gasping at the sight of her new canine face. "WHOA! My hands! My face! My...tail?" She asked as she wagged a tail.

"Whoa! I'm a...wolf?" Xion asked herself as she also checked her sandy blonde-colored face reflection in the same puddle. "Wow, my hair looks GOOD!"

"Aww, how cute! I'm a wolf too!" Namine giggled as she played with some of the silver-colored fur that was now all over her body.

"So am I! Look at us! We're like a she-wolf pack!" Kairi exclaimed. "Never thought I'd say that...I'd better take a photo of this. The boys back home will _never _believe this!" She said as she pulled out her gummiphone. Or...rather _tried _to take out her phone. "Ugh...this is so much harder with paws!"

Namine gasped as she got up close next to Kairi. "Oh! Me too! Come on Xion!"

"Are we _really _gonna do this?"

"Hey, you made me take a selfie at the beginning, now you gotta join in this one." Kairi said firmly.

Xion rolled her eyes before getting close with the other two. "Fine. On three, one...two...three…"

Kairi suddenly sneezed as she pressed the button. "Are you kidding me?" She reviewed the photo. "I blame it on the fur this time. Guess that's another one you two wanna keep, right?" She asked while rolling her eyes.

Namine giggled while nodding her canine head. "Yep! We gotta show all of these to Sora!" She teased, earning a groan from Kairi.

Xion put her...paws on her hips. "So, now's the bigger question, do you really think a piece of your lucky charm ended up here?"

"Well, the radar on the ship seemed pretty confident." She answered as she pulled up the tracker on her phone. "My phone is saying it's somewhere here too. Thankfully, it looks like it's right here in the city, so we won't have to go very far, I think."

Namine twiddled her claws. "Yeah...but why would a world full of animals have a chunk of your seashell?"

"I don't know!" Chirithy answered as he popped onto Kairi's shoulder. "But these are MY KIND OF PEOPLE!" He exclaimed. A lioness walked by, only for Chirithy to wolf whistle at her. She looked back and glared at Kairi and the girls before they had a chance to turn away and hide Chirithy. She scoffed and walked off, leaving the trio embarrassed.

"Great, way to go, Chirithy." Xion whispered.

"Sorry Chirithy, but you need to stay hidden. We can't let anyone find out we're humans and you're too much of a giveaway that we're not from this world." Kairi said as she patted him on the head.

Chirithy groaned and shook his head. "Fine...figures. We're finally in a world where it's nothing but animals and I still have to stay hidden. Next thing you know, I'm gonna become a plot convenience fairy for a mobile game."

Kairi sighed as Chirithy vanished. "Ladies, we've been through three different worlds and every single one of them treats that seashell like they just found gold. These seashells must be something way different than either of us thought."

"I guess so. It's just weird that the pieces would end up in the strangest of places instead of worlds that Sora has been." Xion muttered as she put a paw on her chin.

"Well, standing around and questioning...seashell logic won't help us find the piece any faster." Kairi reached into her pocket and pulled out the charm. "We have six pieces. We're almost halfway there. Let's start making our way downtown!"

Following the tracker, Kairi and the girls began to move along with a majority of the crowd toward the busier area of the city. The closer they got to the buildings, the bigger they seemed. One thing that seemed to strike their interest was a certain female kangaroo who constantly appeared on advertisements. The sparkling dresses, the professional posed photos, and the videos that appeared on the digital billboards that had her either speaking or singing were a dead giveaway that she was a famous singer.

"Wow...that Rootada girl seems rather famous. She's everywhere." Xion pointed out.

"She must be a singer." Namine guessed as she saw Rootada in a commercial on a large screen. "Look, she has a new song coming out. 'Face My Fears' and it's a collaboration with another artist called Quillex. Hmm, interesting."

Kairi nodded. "Yeah. I'll tell you one thing, she _does _have excellent taste in hair." She chuckled, noticing that the celebrity shared a similar hairstyle with her.

Just as their day seemed peaceful, it was interrupted by the sounds of various citizens screaming and running in the opposite direction of them. The girls stopped in their tracks as they saw some Powerwild Heartless harassing a mother zebra and her child.

"Heartless!" All three girls cried.

Kairi summoned her Keyblade. "Come on! We'd better go!"

"Right!" Xion and Namine agreed in unison as they summoned their Keyblades.

Just as the girls started jogging towards the Heartless, a large PT Cruiser sped right past them with red and blue sirens blinking. Kairi couldn't help but watch with amazement as the car appeared to drift right around a corner, travelling a lot faster than either of the girls.

Inside the PT Cruiser, two police officers-one official and one in training-kept their eyes locked on the road as their sirens fired, indicating an urgent situation. The one in training, a fox, leaned back in the passenger seat in a relaxed manner while having a cup of coffee, a classic delicacy of police officers. The actual officer, a bunny in her 20s, was more concerned about what was going on in the city. Although she did reach for a carrot cake flavored donut when offered one by her partner.

"Okay Nick, I know you tend to get overexcited with jumping into action, but we gotta take guard. We don't know what these creatures are like." She warned.

Nick finished sipping his coffee and smiled slyly. "Relax, Judy. I've gotten better, haven't I?"

"Yes you have, but this is something different, so just please just be careful."

"Aww, you're so cute when you're concerned for my safety."

"Two can play at that game, Nicky." Judy teased with a snicker.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, only my mother can call me that." Nick cringed his face.

Judy rolled her eyes before turning them back to the road. She gasped as she saw some Heartless rush past the cruiser in the opposite direction. "Whoa! Hang on, Nick!" She yelled before suddenly turning the car around and speeding after the Heartless. "Stop! In the name of the law!" Judy yelled into the intercom.

Despite the Heartless trying to take advantage of Judy and trying to lose her, she managed to drive fast enough to where she was able to catch up and cut them off. Now that she had them where she wanted them, Judy and Nick hopped out of the car and began to try and arrest the Heartless. Little did they know that these things were not real animals that could just be simply apprehended. Nick sprinted after a Lion Dancer, only for it to vanish before he had the chance to catch it while Judy pinned down a Powerwild. She tried to handcuff it, only for it retaliate and knock her off. As the Powerwilds and Lion Dancers began to surround Nick and Judy, a couple of Hot Rods seemed to join in with the crew, ready to wipe out the two officers.

"Uh...Nick?"

"Yeah, Carrots?"

Judy's foot tapped. "You got any other ideas?"

Nick, eyes widened, shook his head. "Nope. You're the cop!"

"So are you!"

"I'm a cop-in-training, HUGE difference!"

Kairi hopped right in the middle with Xion and Namine right by her side. "We're here! We know how to handle these guys!"

"Great!" Judy smiled and nodded. "Wait...you've seen these things before?"

Xion sighed. "It's a long story, it'll take about 17 years to tell it."

Nick scoffed, rolling his eyes. "I don't have time for that, Realm of Hearts 3 comes out next week."

"Worry about that later, Nick!" Judy said before sternly looking at Kairi. "Let's arrest these troublemakers and send them where they belong!"

"Uh...arrest them?"

"Yep! Here!" Judy threw her a pair of handcuffs. "You know how to work those, right?"

"Yeah, but...we can't exactly arrest these guys." Kairi tried to explain while shoving the handcuffs into her pouch. Judy looked at her with a confused look on her face. "Trust me, these things are not what you think. The only way to get rid of them is to fight them off."

Judy studied Kairi and her Keyblade for a moment. She didn't know her for very long, but something inside of Judy was telling her to trust in Kairi, so she did. She nodded while passing along the orders to Nick. Leaving the five of them to attack the Heartless directly. Nick wasn't really much of a fighter aside from what he had learned from the martial arts movies and during his officer training. Judy was way more advanced and took advantage of her small size. She scurried behind a Lion Dancer and kicked it right in the back before Namine aimed and shot a Fira spell at it.

Kairi aimed her Keyblade at a Powerwild and cast Pearl on it, wiping it out instantly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a Hot Rod charging at her and instinctively ran from it before Xion slammed on top of it from above, stabbing her own Keyblade into it. She and Kairi got together and cast Fission Fire together, before Namine finished off the Hot Rod with a Thunder spell. The three high-fived each other before noticing another Hot Rod coming toward them. Kairi got in front and cast Reflect, knocking the Hot Rod backwards. Allowing the trio to work their way towards defeating it.

Nick and Judy concentrated on fighting off the Powerwilds, which Nick was easily to see right through 'em thanks to him being as sly of a fox as he was. He avoided every move was able to wipe them out thanks to knowing pressure points and giving them a good punch with his paw. There was one leaping after Judy, who managed to finally put her fox repellent to good use. She took the can out and decided to spray it into Powerwild's eyes. Despite it not being a fox, the chemicals in the spray were painful enough to effect even a Heartless. Now with its eyes burning in pain, Judy leapt onto a clothes line and bounded herself off like a slingshot and kicked the last remaining Heartless in the face, finishing it off. Feeling satisfied, she looked over at Kairi, Namine, and Xion, who had just finished off the last Hot Rod, and walked over to them, clapping and nodding.

"I gotta hand it to ya. You three knew exactly what to do." Judy complimented.

Kairi laughed. "Thank you...uh…"

"Hopps. Officer Judy Hopps, Zootopia Police Department." She stuck out her paw, allowing the two to shake.

"I'm Kairi. This is Namine and Xion."

"Great! Now that I've gotten your names, and you seem to know about these things, I'd like to ask you a few-"

"-I apologize for my partner being _so rude _and forgetting to introduce me. My name is Nick Wilde." The sly fox took Kairi by the paw as he introduced himself. "And let me just say that I've lived in Zootopia my entire life and I have yet to meet such a flawless babe as yourself."

Kairi laughed nervously as Nick kissed her on the paw, her face blushing. "Eh…"

"I'd watch it, fox." Xion said slapping Nick on the paw. "She has a boyfriend."

Nick heavily sighed. "Of course she does."

"Nick, what'd I tell you about flirting with the locals while on the job? Besides, she's like 15!" Judy scolded her partner.

"16, actually." Kairi pointed out.

"Okay, okay, Carrots. I'll stop!"

"Anyway, sorry about that. I'd like to ask you a few questions regarding those...things." Judy requested as she pulled out a notepad and her carrot pen. "First off, _what _are those things?"

Kairi thought for a moment. The last thing she wanted to do was lie to a cop, but on the other hand, trying to keep the world order was another thing she had to keep in mind.

"Well, they're called Heartless. They prey upon other peop-animals' hearts"

"Hearts? Interesting…" Judy muttered as she wrote in her notebook. "And where did you last encounter these...Heartless...things?"

"They're kinda just everywhere if we could be honest." Xion answered as she darted her head around the area. "We've been travelling all over, and they've kinda just popped up every now and then."

"Hmm...so they have an inconsistent pattern with their appearance then…"

"So what brings you three to our neck of the woods?" Nick asked, breaking up the interrogation.

Kairi put a paw under her furry chin. "Well, to make a long story short, I am on the hunt for a specific seashell. It's a very important item to me." She pulled out her gummiphone and showed it to Judy. "My tracker here is saying it's over at this spot in the city, do you know where that is?"

Judy took the phone and zoomed in on the screen, taking a close look at the street names. "Yep, I know exactly where that is, and I know who lives there."

"Is it who I think it is?" Nick asked, his eyebrows furrowing in suspicion.

"Yep. Nick, we've got a weasel on our case." Judy reached into her pocket and put some sunglasses on. "You ready for a treasure hunt?"

"Always."

"Kairi, Namine, Xion, you can ride with us in the back of the cruiser." Judy offered as she opened one of the back seat doors.

Xion chuckled as she followed the other two girls into the car. "Never thought I'd ever be riding in the back of a police officer's car."

"Neither have I, especially considering the cop's a cute little bunny." Kairi nodded in agreement.

Judy hopped into the driver's seat with Nick in the passenger seat. "Oh, by the way, I'd appreciate _not _being called 'cute'. See, it's fine when bunnies all each other that, but not when another animal does it."

"Note taken." All three girls nodded.

Nick took out Judy's phone and held it in front of her face. "Okay, which Rootada song?"

"Hmm...I'm feeling Oozora De Dakishimete."

"Is this a good time for us to take a selfie?" Xion asked while laughing.

Kairi frowned. "No! My parents will instantly start asking questions and then I'll never be allowed to drive or date until I'm 40!"

"Yeah, but when are you ever gonna end up in the back of a cop car again? It's like one of those crime shows I watch with Roxas and Axel."

"You watch WAY too many of those." Namine said with a sigh.

While riding through the city in the back of the cruiser, Kairi couldn't help but look out the window and gaze at all of the buildings they passed that she hadn't seen yet. There were so many shops and restaurants. She wanted to see everything, despite also being in a hurry to find her lucky charm's pieces. There was a sushi restaurant that seemed to be owned by bears that had Kairi licking her chops. Namine saw an art store that she really wanted to go into. She was looking to upgrade from just using pencils. Xion looked ahead and noticed a weasel who looked to be selling video games off the street. For some reason, he looked very suspicious judging by the way his fur wasn't the most kept and by the way he seemed to be approaching other animals into buying his games

Little did the girls know that the intimidating weasel was the guy that Nick and Judy were looking for. Once they got closer, the car slowed down, searching for a place to park in the crowded downtown area. As much as Judy loved living in Zootopia compared to her hometown in the countryside, she hated driving downtown due to how crowded it was and there was never any parking when she needed it. It was only worse when there was a big event happening in the megadome or the performing arts center because then it became _paid _parking. Finally, a spot opened up right by the suspicious weasel.

"Who is he?" Namine asked as she looked out the window at the weasel.

"Duke Weaselton. He's a troublemaker in the city." Nick answered in a low tone. "Somehow he keeps getting away with his life of crime."

Judy chuckles. "It's because there are other and more effective ways to punish him other than throw him in the slammer." She parked the car to the side of the street and hopped out with everyone else following her. "Alright, you girls let me and Nick do the talking. We know how to handle this guy."

"Yeah, no sweat."

Just as Nick and Judy suspected, Duke was up to no good...again. He had a table set up with a cash box and a portable card scanner. What was he selling this time? Well, to the average eye, one had no idea what it was supposed to be. Even Kairi and the girls didn't know exactly what he was selling except for the fact that it was a bunch of thin blue and green cases with a slipcover on the front containing about 13 animals in what could only be the strangest outfits and hairstyles. Some of them had strange-looking weapons too. Nick, on the other hand, knew exactly what Duke was selling/

"Step right up! Get your copy of one of the most highly anticipated video games of the year, Realm of Hearts 3! For Gamestation 4 or VBox One! Hasn't even been released yet! This is your chance folks to get your paws on this game a month before its release!" Duke yelled out to passing locals.

"Well, well, well, look who's back at it with the bootlegs?" Nick greeted slyly.

"Well, well, if it isn't 'Foxy and Flopsy Copsy'. You haven't gone soft on me, eh Wilde?" The weasel snickered.

"Of course not. I'm just making better use of my time and mind." Nick's eyes scanned over to the table of stacked video games and swiped one. "Oh, and what do we have here?"

"None o' your business."

"Well, well, Carrots." He held the game in front of his partner's face. "Looks like we have a copy of Realm of Hearts 3 right here. Oh wait! There's more like thirty copies here! And guess what? The game hasn't been released yet."

Judy crossed her arms and shot a scowl towards Duke. "So _you _are the one behind that report of the stolen copies. I should've known."

Duke rolled his eyes and twiddled with the toothpick. "Wow, look who finally poked her head out of the garden."

"Listen here, you-" Xion growled and stepped forward, ready to strangle the weasel.

Judy held Xion back and gave her a confident grin. "Don't worry, Xion. I've got this." She turned back and held out Kairi's phone to Duke. "Listen Duke, you have something we need that is hidden at your apartment."

"Ohhh, so _now _you need me?"

"What a jerk…" Namine muttered.

Xion nodded. "He makes Saix look like an angel."

"And just _why _should I give you this item?" Duke asked, taunting the two officers.

Judy sighed and shook her head. "Because, I don't know much, but all I know is that these girls here are looking for this particular seashell and if they're asking me for help, then it's gotta be important to them."

"Seashell? Ohhhh, I know exactly what you're talking about."

"You do?" The wolf trio all asked in unison.

Duke chuckled in amusement. "Yep, doesn't mean I'm gonna talk though. That thing is rare and worth some big numbers once I make my way down to the pawn shop."

Judy shrugged her shoulders and narrowed her eyes. "Okay Weselton, looks like we have no choice."

"It's WEASELTON!" Duke yelled, jabbing his toothpick in Judy's direction.

"You're right. It is 'Weaselton'."

Duke's head popped up and his eyes bulged out as he felt Nick lock a set of handcuffs around his wrists. "What is this?"

"Duke Weaselton, you are under arrest for possession of stolen property on multiple accounts." Nick announced as he tightened the cuffs. "You have the right to remain silent, anything you say can and will be used against you."

"Good work, Wilde." Judy praised her partner-in-training.

"Wait! You can't be serious? All of this over a stupid seashell?"

Kairi jabbed a finger at Duke with her jaw clenched. "That 'stupid seashell' could help me save someone special to me, so just shut your yap for two seconds before I seal it shut with my Keyblade."

Judy shot a deadly glare towards Duke as Nick restrained him. "Listen Duke, you have three options here. One, you can go to jail. Two, you can go to jail. Or three, you can take us to your apartment, retrieve that seashell for us, and you'll be set free."

"Uh...me? Set free? Is that even legal?" Duke asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Officer's discretion." Nick answered with a sly smile. "You take us to the apartment, get us the seashell, and we'll release you as if this never happened." He paused before picking up one of the game copies. "But, we will be confiscating these because if this game's story gets leaked and you spoil it, you're gonna be one of the most hated creatures for a lot of critters, including myself, who have been waiting ten years for this game to come out."

"Eh…."

Duke finally caved and took everybody over to his pace. To say he lived in a shady part of town would be an understatement. The apartments were far from luxury living, they had to pass by a trailer park to even get to Duke's apartment, and there were little to no local businesses located on the same street. Kairi stuck close to her friends as she saw a jaguar shoot a look toward her. Destiny Islands had unsafe areas like this one, but nowhere near as many, and she was always trying to avoid areas like this to begin with. A weasel by a trashcan began snickering toward Xion, only for her to growl and snarl right back at him.

Once Duke opened the door to his apartment, everyone had access. The apartment wasn't necessarily in bad shape, but it was very messy. There was laundry scattered all about, dust on the furniture, and clutter at around every corner. Kairi remembered Sora not exactly being the most organized person she knew, but even his room never got as bad as this weasel of an apartment. She turned on the light switch and gasped at the sight of cobwebs in the corner of the ceiling. Kairi wasn't afraid of a lot of things as far as creepy crawlies were concerned, but spiders were one thing that she HATED with a passion.

"Alright, alright, here's the place." Duke rolled his eyes as he dragged his feet across the floor and over to a closet. "Don't get too comfortable."

"Sheesh, for all the money this guy makes, you'd think he'd hire a maid service or something…" Kairi mumbled as she wiped some dust off the TV with a finger.

"Just hire Axel and Saix." Xion suggested with a laugh. "Those two are always keeping our place clean."

"Don't worry, we won't be here long." Judy whispered.

Nick kicked around a shirt that was lying down on the floor. "Y'know Duke, you should think about gettin' yourself a girlfriend. Maybe that'll motivate you to keep your place cleaner."

"Pfft, I ain't the type to settle." Duke scoffed as he pulled down a box. "You should speak for yourself, Wilde."

"Eh, haven't found the right girl yet. Maybe once I get the title of 'officer', it'll help my chances."

"Yeah, sure, that's what they all say. Anyway, here's the box." Duke slammed the box on the cluttered coffee table. "This is where I keep all of the junk I find that I plan to sell to the pawn shop. That seashell's awfully small, so good luck findin' it."

"Perfect! Let's dig in!" Kairi said clapping her paws together.

With everyone digging in, it proved to be more difficult to find than they thought. Like Duke warned, he had a lot of small collectibles that were all piled in a sloppy manner. There were things such as foreign currency, jewelry, figures, whatever could be worth money. With the seashell being as small as it was, it was near impossible to find it considering whenever someone would remove an item, multiple items would fall in its place. Judy got lucky. She spotted something colorful toward the bottom and reached in for it.

"Is this it?" Judy asked, holding out the shell.

Kairi gasped and took the shell, holding it gently in her paws. "Yes! This is it!" She held it to her face and nuzzled it. "I was so afraid we'd never get it! Thank you so much, Officer Hopps and Officer Wilde."

"Don't mention it." Nick chuckled while waving a paw.

Judy smiled confidently and held up a fist. "All part of the job."

Duke sighed heavily and tapped his foot, staring at his watch. "Okay, okay, you found your shell, now beat it!"

"With pleasure." Namine stuck her tongue as everyone left the apartment, shutting the door behind them. "Do we really have to let him not go to jail?"

"A deal's a deal, Namine." Judy said in a hopeless tone. "But, if we catch him committing his next crime, we'll get him for sure."

"Well, the important thing is we got Kairi's shell back, right?" Xion asked. Namine and Kairi both nodded. "We were lucky to run into you guys."

Judy softly giggled. "So were we. I don't think I ever really thanked you three for helping Nick and I with those...Heartless...things."

"It was no biggie, all part of the job!" Kairi laughed as she flashed a wide smile and summoned her Keyblade.

Nick looked over at the sunset and tapped Judy in the arm. "Hey Carrots, it's getting late. Quitting time?"

"Oh yeah, that's true." Judy checked the time on her carrot phone. "Yep, looks like our shift is gone for the day. Better check in with base. So, where are you three gonna head off to?"

"Uh…" Kairi ran a paw up and down her arm as she exchanged unsure looks with Xion and Namine. "Well, we don't really have anywhere to go, honestly. We're kinda from...someplace far away from here."

"Mmmm, I see. You're from out of town. No wonder I don't recognize either of you." Judy put her hands on her hips and nodded. "Well, it's getting late. Why don't you come stay at mine and Nick's apartment? We have extra space."

"That'd be great!" Namine folded her hands together and smiled widely. "Kairi, Xion, do either of you oppose?"

Kairi shrugged her shoulders. "Well, we found the seashell pretty easily. Sure, why not?"

Compared to the dump that was Duke's apartment, Nick and Judy's apartment was kept up really well. It was a three-bedroom, two bath, and had a full kitchen. Kairi inhaled what could only be the scent of a freshly clean place sprayed with some type of air freshener. She always enjoyed walking into a clean home and it reminded her of how emaculate her house was back on the island. Her eyes scanned the walls. There photos of Judy with her (very large) family, as well as a few of her and Nick. The one particular photo of her with her parents stuck to her. She remembered there was a similar photo like that back home. Kairi held her paw against her chest, silently hoping that her parents were okay and that they wouldn't worry too much about her.

"Wow, this is a nice place!" Xion praised as she flopped onto the large couch.

Nick chuckled as he leaned against the wall. "You should've seen the places Carrots and I used to live in. Pretty typical fixer-uppers."

"But, ever since I became an official officer and _not _a meter maid, and since Nick joined the police force, we were both able to afford a place like this." Judy explained as she opened the door to her bedroom, removing her utility belt.

"It was nice of you two to offer us your place." Kairi said as she sat at the dining room table.

"It's no big deal. We hardly have any company over. You might as well call us an 'old married couple'." Nick jested as he pulled a pitcher out of the fridge and started pouring cups of lemonade for everyone.

Kairi smiled mischievously at the fox. "Are you guys a married couple though?" She teased.

"Uh…." Nick froze, allowing one of the cups to overflow.

"N-no, we're not t-together." Judy stammered her words as she emerged from her bedroom in a fresh shirt and sweatpants. "We're just good friends and roommates." She walked over to a small table next to the couch and waved to get the girls' attention. "Watch this. Alicia, play Forevermore by Rootada." Judy spoke to a small electronic device.

"Now playing 'Forevermore by Rootada' from your playlist." The electronic device responded back with a robotic female voice. Suddenly, the music started to play from its speaker.

"WHOA!" Kairi gasped as she started to slowly bop her head to the music. "I don't have that thing at home."

"Neither do I." Namine shook her head as she swayed her hips back and forth.

Xion nodded her head. "I'm gonna have to consider something like this for our place."

"Alicia's the best. You can ask her to play any song and she can answer basic trivia questions." Judy smiled confidently as she sat on the couch's armrest. "Alicia, what year did Pig Hero 6 come out?"

"Pig Hero 6 was released in the year 2014." Alicia responded.

"Wow…" Xion marveled at it. "Alicia, what is the meaning of life?"

Alicia paused before answering. "Sorry, I didn't get that."

Judy laughed sheepishly as Xion growled in frustration. "Alicia has her limits." She looked back towards the device. "Alicia play 'Play a Love Song' by Rootada."

"Now playing 'Play a Love Song by Rootada' from your playlist."

Kairi smiled and waved her head back and forth to the soft and slow tune that suddenly picked up a little. "I really like this music you keep playing, who sings this?"

"Rootada. She's one of the hottest pop singers in Zootopia right now." Nick answered as he brought a tray of lemonade cups to all of the girls. "Carrots and I have tickets to her big concert in a few days."

"Yep!" Judy pumped a fist up as she took a cup and sipped the lemonade. "She's debuting her new song, Face my Fears, at this concert. It's a collab with music artist Quillex."

"It also happens to be the opening theme song for Realm of Hearts 3." Nick mentioned while scratching the back of his head.

Namine laughed as she nodded her head to the music. "That sounds like so much fun!"

Xion looked down at her stomach that began making a growling noise. "Uh...sorry to be that...wolf, but you got anything to eat?"

"Oh! Of course! I'm getting hungry myself." Judy hopped off the armrest and hurried into the kitchen. "Let's see…" Her eyes scanned the fridge. "We have glazed carrots, carrot soup, or carrot salad. Take your pick."

Namine though for a moment with unease. "Uh...you got anything else? I'm not really a fan of-" She expressed softly until she noticed Kairi and Xion waving their hands in front of their throats in a 'cut it out' sort of way. "I mean, the salad sounds good."

Nick laughed and rolled his eyes. "Aww come on, Carrots. You're not gonna make these fine wolf ladies eat a bunch of carrots, are ya?"

"I...guess not." She pulled out her phone and began tapping on the touchscreen. "I'll order pizza. What toppings do you guys like?"

Everyone got together and ordered their pizza. Kairi's favorite was pepperoni with black olives and pineapple. She seemed to be the only one who enjoyed it, so that meant none that night. Thirty minutes later, the pepperoni with sausage and vegetarian pizzas arrived. It was a common favorite among Kairi, Namine, and Xion and it had been a long time since they had it. In fact, it had been a long time since they really just lounged around at someone's house and had a good time. Even when Kairi stayed at Xion, Roxas, and Axel's place, she wasn't in the best of spirits. During their little pizza party, the girls found Nick and Judy to be quite the characters and enjoyed bonding with them.

Of course, what was a party without dessert? Judy walked over to the fridge and pulled out a fresh blueberry pie that was only just baked the day before. With Kairi's mom being very good at baking, claiming _any_ baked good better than hers was rather bold, but this time around, Kairi was confident in her opinion. The way the blueberries melted in her mouth, the way the crust had a little bit of crunch, but was still soft, and the whipped cream on top was like a dream come true in terms of dessert. Poor Chirithy tried to pop out for some, but Kairi kept shoving him back into her hood.

"Mmmm, this is the best blueberry pie I've ever tasted." Kairi licked her lips as she scooped a big bite into her mouth.

Judy laughed. "Thanks, the recipe was a joint effort between my family and good ol' Gideon Grey. My parents' blueberries and his pastry recipe. If you want, I'll give you the recipe."

"Thanks. I've got two boys back home who would die for this."

Xion nodded. "I've got three." She mumbled with her mouth full.

Once everyone had turned in for the night, Kairi stayed awake so she could write in her journal. She had actually lost track with everything that had happened in the last couple days and needed to catch up. After feeling like she had written enough, Kairi finally went back to reassembling her lucky charm, but after taking a look at it, decided to clean it. It hadn't been cleaned since the last time she gave it to Sora, before he took his Mark of Mastery exam.

Kairi went into the bathroom and gave it a good wash, cleaning each individual piece and getting all of the dirt off. Unfortunately her paw slipped and almost knocked a piece down the drain. She sighed of relief and carefully transferred all of the pieces back to the living room where she sat down and began to reassemble the charm back to its current state. Kairi couldn't help but smile. Even if it wasn't done. It was half way there, and she had made a ton of progress since initially finding the sole piece on the beach. Judy stepped out from her bedroom to get a drink of water and noticed Kairi eyeing the lucky charm.

"That's an interesting looking trinket you got there." Judy pointed out.

Kairi smiled softly. "It's a lucky charm I made a couple years ago. But, a few months ago, it was shattered and the pieces were scattered all over the place, so I'm trying to find all of them. This makes seven. Six more to go."

"That's great. But, I am curious about something."

"Hm?" Kairi tilted her head, her ears flopping over.

Judy's eyes softened as she placed a paw on Kairi's arm. "You mentioned something about how that seashell piece could help you save someone special."

"Oh, I did mention that, didn't I? Well, it's kind of a long story."

"Feel like taking a walk?"

**When I told Judy our story, I found that this time around, I didn't look back on it with sadness, but rather, with a different light. I looked upon it with admiration. Instead, I realized just how much I admired you and how lucky I was to have you in my life. It was moments like this that kept pushing me forward during the toughest times.**

"So he gave up his life for yours? Just like that?" Judy asked, recapping the story.

Kairi nodded. "Yep, he didn't have to think twice about it either."

"Sounds like has the makings of a true hero."

"He really was." Kairi giggled softly. "Even if it was the littlest thing, he touched so many hearts and saved so many. And now, it's my turn to save him. But…"

"But what?"

"Haven't you ever had a dream or a goal that just seemed so impossible? Almost as if you couldn't help but wonder if you were working this hard for nothing?"

Judy stopped in her tracks, her ears drooping and her face low. "Actually, yes…" Kairi stopped and looked back. She watched as Judy took a seat on the sidewalk and then sat down with her. "Take it from somebody who was told over and over again that she'd never be a cop."

"Who...who told you that?" Kairi asked as if someone offended her by insulting a friend.

"Everyone. My family, strangers, and that one guy I mentioned, Gideon Grey, I didn't say this, but he actually used to bully me during childhood, saying I could never be a cop either."

"No! Really?"

Judy nodded, stretching her legs out. "Yep. Nobody had faith in me. Because bunnies, well, we were typically known as these 'cute docile creatures who are great at farming and multiplying'."

"Multiplying?" Kairi asked, an eyebrow tilted. Judy nodded slowly, hoping she wouldn't have to explain what that meant. "Ooohhhhh, I get it, I get it now. But, nobody had faith in you?"

"There had never been a bunny cop before me. All of the cops here in Zootopia were either predators or larger animals. Same goes for foxes. There had never been a fox cop before Nick."

"Wow…" Kairi leaned back and stretched her legs, looking up at the stars. "You and Nick really had quite the struggle then, huh?"

Judy nodded. "It wasn't just bunnies and foxes though. Everyone had their own set of issues with different species. The sheep were terrified of wolves, lions and hyenas were always at each other's throats, and small critters were looked down as weak and weren't taken seriously." She furrowed her eyebrows and stood up, planting her feet in the ground. "But I couldn't take it anymore. It wasn't right. So, against all odds, I became a cop, and showed Zootopia that you could be whatever you wanted to be, regardless of what species you are." She looked down and smiled at Kairi, putting a paw on her shoulder. "Dreams might seem impossible most of the time, but learning from my experience, if you want something bad enough, never stop fighting for it, because your passion and commitment will pay off, I can promise you that. Besides, it's kinda fun to do the impossible."

"That's really inspiring, Judy."

"Hey, you know what you need? You need to boost your confidence. That'll help push you further."

"Boost my confidence?"

Judy nodded with her arms folded. "Yep, I can tell that you don't have a lot of faith in yourself, which is just as important as others believing in you."

Kairi sighed. "I want to, but I feel like everytime I get involved with something, I end up causing more trouble and-"

"Okay stop right there. That's step number one." Judy cut her off.

"Huh?"

"No more putting yourself down. Got it?" The bunny furrowed her eyebrows and sternly pointed a finger at her. "I saw you out there with those creatures. You _are _strong, okay? Even if you make mistakes, that doesn't mean you're weak, it just makes you normal. Now, say it with me, you are strong."

Kairi lowered her eyebrows and curled her paws into fists. "I...am...strong." She said softly.

"Louder."

"I am strong."

"Even louder." Judy said smiling widely.

Kairi's lips curled into a smile as she stood up. "I am strong." She said with a raised voice.

"Say it with pride!"

"I am strong!" Kairi yelled at the top of her lungs, followed by a wolf's howl.

Judy waved her arms out in front of her. "Okay! Okay! We don't need to be _that _loud. Can't have the cops called on us, that'd be embarrassing." She stepped back and took a good look at Kairi, who was breathing heavily. "How do you feel?"

"That...felt...great."

"That's what it's supposed to feel like."

Kairi scratched her head. "But wait, wouldn't this just make me cocky?"

"Cockiness and confidence are two totally different things and you don't have the heart to be cocky, I can tell you that much."

"Wow, I want to feel like this all the time." Kairi laughed softly as she placed a paw over her heart.

Judy placed her hands on her hips and leaned against a pole. "Well, I'm not sure how much of a hurry you're in, but if you don't mind staying here in Zootopia for a few days, I can train you, help you build your confidence more."

"Really?"

"Yep. I'll take you through the same training I went through when I was at the police academy. You train with me for a few days and you'll see a difference, I promise."

Kairi smiled widely and nodded. "Okay, I'll train with you! Thanks Judy!" She held out her paw.

Judy shook her own paw with Kairi's. "It's not gonna be easy."

"I know, but I'll do whatever it takes to save Sora."

"That's the spirit, Kairi." Judy released their paws and turned to begin walking back to her apartment. "Well, time to hit the hay. We're getting up at the crack of dawn."

"Right!"

At the crack of dawn, the alarm on Kairi's phone went off. Normally, it would take her a little bit to wake up and get going, but she had never felt more pumped to be awake so early. Even during her Keyblade wielder training, she and Axel would both be slugging in the morning, more him than her. Kairi shut her alarm up, hoping it wouldn't wake up Xion, who slept on the other couch in the living room. She ran into the bathroom and slipped on only the tank and shorts part of her outfit. She couldn't help but groan at the fact that her butt had a bit more volume due to her canine figure, but knew it was temporary.

Kairi hurried into the kitchen after she was changed and grabbed a cup of coffee that was all prepared thanks to Chirithy sneaking his way out to fulfill his addiction. She was careful to not be too loud, for out of the corner of her eye, she could see Xion stirring in her sleep, but also hiding her face in her pillow. Kairi sipped her coffee silently while studying the clock. She figured Judy would be awake soon. After finishing her coffee, she went off to a corner of the apartment and began stretching her body out for training.

"Okay. I've had some coffee!" Kairi whispered loudly as she clapped her paws, psyching herself up. "Had a good night's sleep! Time to train!"

Judy appeared from her room in her patrol uniform. "Kairi, I hate to break the news to you, but we're not training today."

"Huh?"

"Carrots got a call from Chief Bogo. He said it was an emergency." Nick explained as he emerged from the bathroom. "We need to go in right away."

"Oh no!" Kairi gasped. "Let us come with you!"

"Actually, I think it'd be better if you three stayed behind." Nick suggested. "This is serious police work."

Judy tapped her partner on the arm. "Actually Nick, I think they should come with us. You saw how they handled those Heartless yesterday. If those things have anything to do with this, they can be a big help."

Nick stared Kairi down before sighing heavily in defeat. "Fine, you guys can come."

"But please, let us do the talking." Judy asked in a firm tone.

"You got it!" Kairi said affirmatively.

* * *

**A/N: Recognize some of the references in this fic? ;) There's more coming your way! :D**


	34. Crime Scene Investigation

**A/N: Hey ya'll! We're back with more Zootopia! Btw, I drew a new cover art for this fic! Head over to my Tumblr or Twitter if you wanna see it in better quality and the girls' outfits are finally colored! (Links on my profile)**

* * *

Chapter 34: Crime Scene Investigation

With Kairi agreeing to accompany Nick and Judy down to the police station, this meant Namine and Xion were coming too. There was just one problem with that, they were completely in a deep sleep when Kairi attempted to wake them up, and it became a chore dragging them out of the apartment. It reminded her of back home whenever she was given the dreaded task of dragging Sora out of bed occasionally. Usually, it was during Mondays after a long enjoyable weekend. Lucky for her, Kairi was a professional at getting 'lazy bums' out of bed. She was able to be loud enough and shook them enough that despite them being half asleep, Namine and Xion were able to drag themselves out of the apartment and into the car.

Unfortunately, not even the PlanitB remix of Rootada's Simple and Clean playing at full volume was enough to keep Xion and Namine awake during the car ride. Xion feel right back asleep and was practically leaning against Kairi's body while Namine's face was plastered right against the window in a zombie-like state. It almost worried her, curious about whether they accidentally ingested a giant sleeping pill or something. Nick warned Kairi to wake up the girls since they were approaching the police station and the last thing either of them needed was to pull up to the station with a couple of teens that look like they had way too much to drink the night before.

"Namine! Xion!" Kairi shook both girls. "You have to stay awake! We're almost to the station!"

"It's too early…" Xion whined while yawning.

Namine nodded. "Why are we doing this again?"

"Because it's our job as Keyblade wielders to defeat the Heartless, now...WAKE UP!" She yelled before smacking both of them across their faces and shocking them awake.

"What happened?" Namine asked, her eyes darting around the car.

Kairi giggled innocently. "Good morning, ladies! Today we're helping with a case!"

Xion gasped before clapping her paws together. "Yes! This really is like my favorite crime shows!" She exclaimed before humming one of the theme songs.

Nick sighed before leaning in closer to Judy. "Are you sure it's a good idea to bring them?" He whispered.

"It'll be fine. I already told them to let us handle everything." Judy assured him.

When everyone rolled up into the station, it was busy as a normal day at the office. Kairi was baffled by how many officers were on duty this early. She never took into consideration that the city would need officers out during the graveyard hours. Xion, on the other hand, watched a tiger police officer drag in a jackal who was in handcuffs. Before anybody could go into the station any further, Judy had them stop at the front desk, headed by a husky cheetah who, like any stereotypical officer, relaxed in his seat enjoying a box of donuts and some coffee, something that Chirithy was dying for at the moment, but was succumbed to hiding Kairi's hood instead.

"Morning, Clawhauser." Nick greeted.

"Oh! Thank goodness you finally arrived! I thought Chief Bogo was gonna lose his buffalo bills by the time you-" Clawhauser gasped as he noticed Kairi, Namine, and Xion standing behind. "Oh my gosh! They are so adorable! Are they like junior detectives or something? Oh! Wait! I know these three!"

"You do?" The girls asked in unison.

"Yes! Yes! You're...oh my goodness! Kiara!" Clawhauser yelled while slamming his paws on the desk.

"What?" Kairi asked, scratching her head in confusion.

"Oh how adorable, she's so confused!" The heavyset cheetah pulled out his phone and showed the screen to Kairi, Namine, and Xion. "See? You're only the best girl in the Realm of Hearts franchise! I mean, don't get me wrong, Nara, Xena, and Arisa are cool too, but girl, you've been there since the beginning! See? Look at this, I have an entire Tweeter account dedicated to you because for whatever reason, fans think it's 'so cool' to hate on you." Clawhauser said while rolling his eyes. "In fact, don't tell anyone here at the station this, but…" He leaned in and lowered his voice. "I'm totally writing a friend-fiction all about your mysterious backstory."

"Okay...that's...kinda creepy…" Xion said while stepping away.

Namine giggled. "I think it's cute!" She studied the screen that had some fictional character artwork on it. "Although…the resemblance is uncanny."

"Also! I've like totally shipped you and Skye together since day one!" Clawhauser squealed.

"Up top, Clawhauser!" Nick said as he high-fived them.

"Well, that's fun and all, but the thing is...my name is Kairi. I'm just...well...me." She said while brushing some hair behind her ear.

Clawhauser sighed in disappointment. "That's too bad...But you're still so cute anyway!"

"ANYWAY!" Judy interrupted, tapping her foot impatiently. "Is Chief Bogo in his office?"

"Yep, go right on in." He watched as the trio followed Nick and Judy, but stopped them briefly. "Here you go, ladies." In his paw were three badge stickers that read "junior detective" on them. "Now you're official!"

Kairi laughed sheepishly as she took the stickers. "Eh...thanks."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

**ZOOTOPIA POLICE DEPARTMENT - CHIEF BOGO'S OFFICE (5:58 AM)**

Judy and Nick walked into the office of Chief Bogo, leaving Kairi and the other girls behind in the hallway. Kairi couldn't help but wonder what was the point of them coming if they were just going to be left behind. Then again, police confidentiality, so she respected it. The three of them took a seat on a bench and patiently waited for the two officers to return from meeting with their boss. Inside the office, Nick and Judy both looked (rather high) up at Bogo, a large buffalo who was definitely more bark than bite, but nobody in the station, or even in the city, needed to know that. He looked like he was wrapped up in work, studying a clipboard with various documents. Judy wouldn't normally dare to interrupt him, but he said it was an emergency.

"Chief what's the emergency?" Judy asked.

Bogo sighed heavily and set down a clipboard. "I need you both to follow me, and whatever you do, do _not _speak of this to any of the general public."

"Yes sir…" Nick nodded affirmatively.

Judy and Nick walked into a room where numerous jail cells were lined up. Behind bars was a large lioness, growling and snarling. She stopped as the light from outside the cell room shone in. Judy gazed at the raging lioness, concern written all over her face. When she saw the male lion standing right by the cell with a distressed expression on his face, Judy knew exactly who it was. All she could do was ask a million questions. How did this happen? Why did this happen? Who did this to her? Nick's heart started racing. This wasn't the first time this had happened and he remembered vividly what occurred the last time.

"Mayor…" Judy muttered before eyeing the cell. "Mrs. Lionheart…"

"I had to show you. Otherwise, you wouldn't have believed me." Bogo explained.

"I can't be…" Nick shook his head in disbelief. "We solved this case months ago! This is just the same thing, right?"

"Maybe, but the fact that the suspect targeted the mayor and his wife...has me concerned."

Judy studied the snarling lioness. "It worries me too. Whoever did this, they might be targeting Mayor Lionheart."

"I wonder if the Heartless had anything to do with this."

Kairi walked into the room with Namine and Xion right behind her. She knew she wasn't supposed to go back there, but felt it in her gut that she should at least try to listen in on what the big emergency was. Hearing about the mayor's wife go savage, she didn't know much about what could've caused this, but could only guess based on her previous experiences with Riku succumbing to the darkness. The girls gasped as Mrs. Lionheart lunged toward the cell bars, practically roaring. Kairi held her arms out in front of Xion and Namine as another officer ran into the room with a tranquilizer, sticking the needle into her side. The lioness shrieked at the intense pinching sensation of the needle. Bogo sighed in relief as Mrs. Lionheart began to slow down, growing dizzy and collapsing onto the ground. Kairi stepped forward and gazed down at the snoozing lioness, amazed at how peaceful she was despite having only been savage a few seconds before.

"Hey! You three shouldn't be back here! This is a private investigation!" Bogo yelled.

Kairi held her paws up and waved them. "Wait! Just hear us out! We helped out with the 'strange creature' occurrence yesterday!"

"Yeah! Go on and tell them, Judy!" Xion encouraged.

Judy sighed. "Girls, you shouldn't have followed us in here, but yes, Chief, they did help out. In fact, they knew a lot about those creatures. I took a lot of notes."

Namine stepped forward, pleading their case. "We really don't mean to cause any trouble. We just want to help out. The Heartless aren't meant to be taken lightly, I can promise you that."

Bogo's eyes darted between the girls before shaking his head. "Well, you're already here. Might as well, I guess."

"Okay then. Mayor Lionheart, I'd like to ask you some questions. Let's move to the interrogation room." Judy requested.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

**ZPD - INTERROGATION ROOM (6:13 AM)**

Nick and Judy took a seat at one end of the table while Mayor Lionheart took a seat on the other end. The girls stood behind the two of them in the dark room that was only illuminated by a white Luxo lamp. It was quiet and had an unsettling feeling. Kairi was starting to realize what criminals felt like when they were brought into the station for questioning. It didn't feel good at all. She also couldn't help but think about Mrs. Lionheart and how she was feeling. Was she scared at all? Did she know her husband was there the whole time? How would this affect her in the long run? This was a whole new world with its own set of issues, but how would her own world handle situations such as this one?

"Alright. So, the police arrived at your house and apprehended your wife at around 4:57am. Where were you at this time?" Judy asked as she got her notepad out.

"Well, normally I'm asleep at this time. Although last night, my wife cooked her hot 'n spicy beef special. I love to eat it, but it's not the best on my stomach. So, I was in the bathroom a few times. At around this time, I got up to go to the bathroom...again...and while I was in there, I heard a crash in my bedroom window. I hurried out and the next thing I knew, my wife was on our bed, tearing our sheets and pillows to shreds." Mayor Lionheart shared.

"Did she attack you?" Xion asked.

"No, but we made eye contact. I learned from last time just how severe this was, so I ran into our guest room and locked it. I hated locking her out, but I didn't want to take a chance of her killing me with her bare paws."

Nick nodded, hearing everything out. "So you ran into the guest room...and then what happened next?"

"That was when I called the police. I stayed hidden in there until they showed up and told me it was okay to come out after she was apprehended."

"Okay…" Judy wrote down her notes. "Tell me everything that happened between when you got home from the office until you went to bed that night."

Mayor Lionheart breathed in deeply before going through his entire afternoon and evening, reciting it for Judy. Kairi and the girls were also keeping mental notes of what the mayor was stating, especially Xion, who was nearly sitting at the table with Nick and Judy.

"Who would've thought a mayor did other stuff outside of the office?" Xion asked with a shrug.

"Officer Hopps, this needs to be solved before it escalates and spreads across the city again." Mayor Lionheart said in a firm tone. "I'll be darned if my citizens are put in danger again because of this."

Judy stood up and held her paw out for the mayor. "You can count on us, Mayor. We've solved this case once before, and we'll do it again." She assured him as his oversized paw shook her small one.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

**ZPD - CHIEF BOGO'S OFFICE (6:42 AM)**

"What have we got?" Bogo asked.

"Not much. Just Lionheart's nightly routine." Nick answered with a shrug.

Judy nodded with her ears low. "Yeah, but I can almost guarantee that this is the cause of the serum that caused multiple predators to go savage earlier this year."

Bogo sighed and leaned in his seat. "The last time we tackled this, Bellwether was our guilty party."

"Could it be the same person?" Xion asked.

Kairi shook her head. "I doubt it if they were guilty last time. They're probably in jail right now."

"Kairi's right. We arrested her and sentenced her up to twenty years in prison." Judy said as she tapped her foot. She turned to Nick. "Do we know anyone who might be a suspect?"

"Other than that weasel, I don't think so, and I doubt he's the one behind this. He's not clever enough to be part of a scheme like this." He answered while rolling his eyes.

Xion laughed as she clapped her paws. "Looks like we've got a fresh case ahead of us!"

"I think you're right, Xion." Judy nodded in agreement.

Bogo set down a file on his desk and leaned against it. "Well, thank you for the interrogation. You can return to your normal duties when you return to work after your weekend. I've hired an outsider to solve this case."

"Wait, what? Chief, we can take care of this ourselves. I mean, you saw how we cracked the case the last time we did this, right?" She asked while laughing sheepishly.

"Maybe, but it was cracked very sloppily. So, I asked a special agent from out of town to come help us out. I want this suspect arrested and thrown behind bars before this situation gets worse, and I know this guy won't have a problem with that. Besides, the last thing we need is Zootopia finding out about this and getting suspicious when they see two ZPD officers working this."

Namine scratched her head. "This guy must be a big deal if he's coming from out of town."

"Oh please." Nick scoffed. "Who could've they hired who is 'so impressive'?"

The door swung open, as if it heard Nick's question. All eyes turned to the doorway and standing within it, was an animal, not so tall, a rabbit, and one with a white coat of fur and a peculiar pattern of black strips, one not usually seen on a rabbit. Thanks to the suit he donned beneath the dark trenchcoat, it didn't take a rocket science to know that this guy meant business. He stepped into the office, nearly ignoring every present personnel inside, and approached Bogo's desk. He took the cigar he was smoking and gracefully put it out without any effort.

"You've arrived." Bogo said as he stood from his seat.

The rabbit removed his sunglasses, twitching his nose. "The name's Savage...Jack Savage."

"Wait, Jack? Jack Savage?" Judy asked, gasping as her eyes widened.

"Judy Hopps?" Jack looked over at her before his eyes widened at the bunny right before him. "Whoa! Judy! Look at you! Get over here!" He laughed while holding his arms out.

Smiling widely, Judy hopped over to Jack and into his arms. The taller rabbit swung her around, as if they were two longtime friends or lovers that had been separated and were seeing each other for the first time in many years. Kairi found it quite sweet that the two of them were so happy to see each other. Nick, on the other hand, seemed indifferent, and both Namine and Xion noticed. Namine didn't want to interrupt their reunion, but Xion, someone who didn't have much of a filter on her anymore, cleared her throat. It was loud enough that Jack and Judy finally toned their voices down.

"Uh...I must be missing something...who is this guy? And...how do you know him?" Nick asked, folding his arms.

"Oh! Sorry!" Judy laughed sheepishly. "Everyone, this is Jack Savage. Jack, this is Kairi, Namine, and Xion. They're...tagging along with us during the case and this my partner N-"

"Officer Nick Wilde." Nick cut her off and held out a paw to Jack.

Jack chuckled. "Well, whaddaya know, Judy? Never thought I'd see you partner up with a fox."

"Neither did I, but...it kinda just happened." She said with a shrug.

"So, how do you two know each other?" Kairi asked.

Jack and Judy both looked at each other before their faces began flushing pink. "Well, Jack and I...we were…"

Nick groaned and shook his head. "Oh, don't tell me…"

"We dated in high school!" She exclaimed, bouncing on her feet.

"I knew it…" The fox held the crown of his head.

"Wow, that's awkward…" Kairi muttered.

Chirithy popped out with a smirk on his face. "Ooooh, ex-boyfriend and a new possible boyfriend, this is getting good…" He whispered before being shoved back into Kairi's hood.

"Regardless of our history, Judy and I intend on maintaining a professional relationship during the case." Jack said in a firm tone as he wrapped an arm around her. "Now, Bogo, what is the rundown on this case?"

Bogo summarized the information that Judy received from the interrogation with Mayor Lionheart. After taking his own notes from the interrogation, Judy took Jack and the others to the breakroom for coffee and donuts. It was there that Judy shared with Jack the events that occurred previously that year. It was the case of 14 mammals, all predators, that went savage and missing. The result of that case was due to former Assistant Mayor Bellwether infecting predators with a serum that sent them into an uncontrollable savage state. Thanks to the efforts of her and Nick, the case was solved and all of the missing mammals were restored, leaving Jack impressed that she solved such a case within her first year as a police officer.

Kairi listened in on the conversation. Part of her wondered if it was their place to help considering how bad this case could escalate, especially since there was a possibility the Heartless have no involvement in the current situation with Mrs. Lionheart, and Nick and Judy weren't even assigned to the case. Xion was all for helping solve the case while Namine was also indifferent. After thinking it out over coffee Chirithy had to suffer over because he wasn't allowed to come out, the trio figured they might as well stick around. At least Namine and Kairi had their healing magic in case either Nick or Judy got hurt in the heat of a pursuit while Xion had an eye for small details that either of them could possibly miss too.

"If you questioned Lionheart as far as you could, then now's the time to visit the scene of the crime and gather evidence." Jack suggested as everyone exited the station. "I know that buffalo butt boss of yours didn't want your involvement, but I personally insist you come too. I'm perfectly aware of your potential, Judy, and I'm sure your partner is fine too."

Judy smiled and nodded. "I'd love to assist you, Jack. I'm sure Nick and the girls would be alright with it too."

Namine nodded in agreement. "Okay gang, let's move out then!"

"Wait, before we go on down to the mayor's house, there's something I want to do first." Judy objected. "Kairi, Namine, Xion, do you girls drive?"

"Never learned." Xion answered.

"Never got behind the wheel." Namine also said.

Kairi folded her arms and stared up to the sky in annoyance. "Well, I was _supposed _to be getting my license soon, but I have my permit."

"Okay, that's fine." Judy nodded. "Kairi, I want us to go down to the DMV to get you a driver's license for emergency purposes. Being on a case like this can be unpredictable at times, and you may need to get behind the wheel."

"Oh? Sure!" She jumped up in the air, cheering. "I'm gonna have my license!"

Nick chuckled. "Giving a teen driving privileges. This will be good."

"I'm sure she'll be just fine." Judy assured him. "Jack, if it's alright with you…"

"Say no more, darling." Jack said with a shrug. "I rented a condo downtown for my time here, so I'll go get everything settled there and when you're done, meet me there, and we'll head to the mayor's house."

"Good plan! Nick, girls, you ready?"

"Yep! Oathkeepers are on the pursuit for a criminal!" Xion exclaimed.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

**SAVANNA CENTRAL - DMV (9:12 AM)**

Getting to the DMV was a bit of an adventure. When they first pulled into it, there were a number of young mammals either taking driving lessons, or taking exams to earn their licenses. This resulted in a couple of close calls from drivers backing out of parking spots without looking in their rearview mirrors, pulling out of a spot without using their turn signals, or just going too fast in general. Kairi shuddered as one driver almost rear-ended Judy and the cruiser. If there was one thing she felt very confident in, it was in her driving, even though she was the type of driver who did like to go on the faster side of things.

"So, this is the DMV?" Kairi asked as they entered the building.

Judy nodded. "Yep, this might take a while, so just a fair warning."

Xion folded her arms and sighed as she studied the long line. "It does look busy. This reminds me of how busy the bistro gets during happy hour."

"Well, there's only so many hours in the day, so it can't possibly take _that _long, right?" Namine asked before looking at the desks and making a harsh realization. "Wait, they're ALL SLOTHS?"

"I told ya it might take a while…" Judy mumbled. "Nick, where's Flash?"

"Flash? Hmmm…" Nick took out his phone and checked the day and time before gasping. "Oh! That's right, I forgot. Flash doesn't work on Saturdays."

"And you didn't warn us?" She asked, practically fuming.

"Who's Flash?" Kairi asked Nick.

"He's a friend of mine, the fastest one who works here. He can normally get us in and out _very _quickly."

Judy rolled her eyes. "That's debatable." She looked at her phone before walking to the end of the line. "Well, we might as well get in line now. I already told Jack we'd meet him later."

"Aww, it won't be so bad, you guys." Kairi said naively as she joined Judy in the line. "At least we have the nice Rootada song to listen to, right?"

**SAVANNA CENTRAL - DMV (3:30 PM...ugh….)**

"Okay, THIS IS THE WORST!" Kairi yelled. "We've listened to Rootada's Sanctuary almost 40 times already! JUST GET ON WITH IT!"

Kairi was a pretty patient person. In fact, it took a lot for something to really crawl under her skin, but this was crossing the line. She didn't remember the DMV ever taking this long back on Destiny Islands when she got her permit. All of this for a card that permits her to drive? Even worse, she wouldn't be able to use this same license back home, so it was almost pointless. Kairi sighed, wishing that the suggestion of a driver's license didn't even cross the mind of Judy. Unfortunately, by the time she was losing her mind, they were already at the front of the line, so had they jumped out, they would've waited six hours in line for nothing.

"Next…!" A sloth called for them.

Judy wiped her brow. "Finally…" She led the group over to the desk where a familiar sloth sat. "Wait, Flash?"

"Flash! Hundred yard dash! It's Saturday, I didn't know you worked today." Nick greeted the sloth.

"I know….I…..asked…..for…..extra…...hours…...today." Flash said, slowly nodding.

"Okay, great. Listen, I need a driver's license for her." Judy said as she jerked her head toward Kairi.

"Sure….."

"Sweet! Tha-" Kairi began to say.

"No…."

"No wha-"

"Problem."

Kairi groaned softly. "Thank you."

Flash reached into his desk. "Let me...get...the...form…..for….you."

"See?" Nick asked as he leaned against the desk with a smirk on his face. "I told you this would be quick."

"Ugh...please hurry up…" Xion whispered to herself as she tapped her foot against the floor.

"Okay…" Flash said as he _slowly _rested the pen on the form. "What…. is ….. your ….name?"

"Kairi Uchida."

"How….do you….spell…."

"K-A-I-R-"

"It…?" Flash finished.

Kairi began nervously tapping her paws as her patience slowly left her. "You spell my first name, K-A-I-R-I."

"K…..A…."

"K-A-I-R-I."

"I….." Flash continued to slowly write on the form.

"R-I!" Kairi anxiously tried to help.

"R….I…."

"Hey, Flash." Nick interrupted.

"No!" The rest of the group groaned in unison.

"In Realm of Hearts 3, which ship do you think is gonna become canon?" He asked casually.

Flash blinked a few times, an unimpressed look pasted on his face. "You know….I…...am…...loyal…..to….Skye…..and…..Rocko."

"Awww, but come on Flash, you know they've been building up Skye and Kiara for practically the entire series!" Nick debated. "Y'know, sky meets sea? You know the two are gonna share the po-po fruit. It's bound to happen."

"I don't…..care." Flash said in an annoyed tone. He slowly looked over to another sloth that sat right by him. "Hey….Priscilla…..?"

Priscilla looked over back at him. "Yes…..Flash….?" She answered.

"No! Come on" Kairi groaned.

"Which…...ship…...in…...Realm….of…..Hearts…..3…...is…..going…..to…...become….canon?" Flash asked her.

"I…...think….." Priscilla said with a sigh. "Skye…...has…...two….paws…..and…. he….and…..Rocko…..and…...Kiara…...should….all….be…..together…...Because…..Skye…...loves…..both…...of….them."

Judy groaned while shaking Nick. "Come on! We don't have time for your ship wars! Save that for Tweeter and Bumblr!"

"The only ship I support is me with coffee…" Chirithy said while quickly popping his head out.

Kairi rolled her eyes and pushed him back down. "Why am I getting a sense of deja vu from their debate?"

"Can we please get back to the license?" Judy asked, cutting off the debate.

"Fine." Flash placed his pen on the form. "Last…..name…."

"Uchida. U-C-H-" Kairi began to spell out.

"Please."

"Okay. My last name is Uchida. U-C-H-I-D-A."

"U….C….I…"

Kairi gasped and practically leapt onto the desk. "No! NO! NO! You forgot the 'H'!"

Flash blinked a few times before looking at her. "I am…..sorry…...I will….have to…..start….over."

After hours (and I literally mean 'hours'), Flash finally managed to fill out the form necessary for Kairi to get her license, but she wasn't done yet. The form had to get processed, then she had to take a photo, and then had to wait for the card to print out. Even taking the photo, the easiest part of the whole process, proved to be a chore. She stood in place for several minutes, waiting for the camera to go off, and when it finally did, she wasn't even looking at the camera because nobody even bothered to let her know when it was going to snap. By the time Kairi's license was printed, Namine and Xion were over it. They were practically slumped over chairs in the lobby, and nobody could blame them. Kairi looked at her license and scrunched her nose at her photo, which had her doing a half smile while looking away from the camera. She could only hope and pray that her real license photo would be leaps and bounds better than this one.

"This is one of the worst days I've ever had…." Kairi muttered as she stared at her license.

Xion nodded. "That's saying a lot, all things considered."

"Hey, look on the bright side. It can only get better from here, right?" Namine asked while smiling.

"And…..I think you just jinxed us." Kairi sighed.

"Well, we should go get something for lunch. I'm starving." Xion suggested. She stopped in her tracks as soon as they walked outside and noticed it was dark and empty. "Or...maybe that would be dinner, because IT'S APPARENTLY NIGHTTIME ALREADY!"

Nick shrugged his shoulders. "You get used to the DMV taking this long."

Kairi shook her head. "I should've just stuck with a learner's permit."

"Well, I just messaged Jack and told him we were finally done, so let's get a move on." Judy said as she led them to the cruiser.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

**SAVANNA CENTRAL - MAYOR LIONHEART'S HOUSE (11:33 PM)**

After everyone wrapped up at the DMV, Judy finally drove everyone to the condo Jack was renting. It was a pretty neat place, but neither Nick or Judy wanted to waste time making themselves at home. They had already wasted an entire day at the DMV, and Judy could feel time crunching. Jack loaded a briefcase up with various gadgets such as radios, sprays, and even a few pistols before leading everyone outside of the condo and into the van he always used whenever he was out on a case. Judy sat in the passenger seat as Jack drove while Nick, Kairi, Namine, and Xion all hid in the back.

When the gang arrived at the mayor's house, it was as everyone expected. He lived in the nicest-looking house in Zootopia, and was somewhat separated from the rest of the residential area. It reminded Kairi of her parents' house. It even had similar balconies that connected to the large bedrooms. Even if it wasn't a good time to be thinking this, Kairi couldn't help but think fondly back to a time where Sora snuck into her room late at night because she was feeling really down at night and needed someone to talk to. Jack decided to park the van a block away so he wouldn't cause any suspicion from passerbyers. As he unloaded the van, he quipped himself as well as Nick and Judy with radios and earpieces, as well as armed himself with his best pistol, The Golden Carrot, loaded and ready for any danger that may lie behind the closed doors.

"Okay, if we're all accounted for, let's move out." Jack said.

The area was quiet, almost too quiet. Jack went first, using both his ears and his sniffer to detect any sort of unauthorized presence. He waved for everyone to carefully make their way up the culdesac and to the mayor's house was even more beautiful up close with its light exterior and fancy trimmings. It was just a shame that the house was guarded, and it was guarded really well. There was a wall that went all around the large lot and a large gate with a call box attached to it. Judy walked up to the gate and pulled on it in the vain of hoping that maybe it was left unlocked, but it wasn't.

"Well, this is a predicament." Nick mentioned.

Judy groaned as she kicked the gate. "Lionheart never gave us access to his house. We're gonna have to climb over and..."

"Break in?" Xion asked.

"Yep."

"Well, since you're a cop, aren't you off the hook for that?" Kairi asked as she began looking for a way into the property.

Nick shook his head. "Not unless we have a warrant, which we don't."

"Lionheart's got security cameras all around his property." Jack pointed out to one that was at the gate. "If they catch us, you girls are gonna be in hot water, Judy and Nick could get fired, and who knows what they'll do with me? I'll probably lose my agent ranking back at home."

"Oh, we wouldn't want that, would we?" Judy teased.

"Hey, a rabbit's reputation is all he has."

Namine studied a box at the gate. "Well, egos aside, we still have to find a way in." She began tapping buttons on the box, trying to see if anything would work. "Security is insane here."

"That's the mayor for you. My parents' house is the same." Kairi explained. "We have security cameras all over the place and there's a central operating system in our basement that runs all of the cams and alarms." She gasped as the idea hit her like a brick to the head. "Wait! That's it!"

"Kairi, talk to us." Judy demanded.

"If we can somehow locate the central operating system for the security system. We can shut it down, and get into the house without any problems!"

Xion nodded while curling a paw into a fist. "Great idea, Kairi!"

"The only problem is that it's most likely password protected…" Jack said with uncertainty in his voice.

"Leave that to me!" Xion said while stepping into the middle of everyone. "I used to work for an evil organization, and I learned how to hack into the computer system. This should be no problem."

Nick smirked while putting his hands on his hips. "Clever girl."

"Okay, I'm on board with this." Judy said with a nod of approval. "Bu...evil organization?"

"It's a long story. Let's go, everyone!" Xion rested her paws against the wall and looked up. "Kairi, Namine, you two can hoist me up, and I'll climb over the wall. Once I shut down security, you should be able to open the gate and get in."

"I'll come with you." Judy suggested. "Just in case you run into trouble, I can at least help you get out of it."

Jack waved her over to a corner a little further down. "Down here. There's an area over here where the cameras would be turned away from you."

After hurrying down to the corner of the lot, Kairi and Namine did as Xion had planned and hoisted her up. Had they tried this months ago, the poor girls who lacked the same upper body strength that the guys had would've failed miserably. The three of them came to the realization that all of the Keyblade experience was making a big difference. Xion climbed over the wall, saluting her fellow ladies before jumping down to the other side. Judy was next, but didn't need as much of a boost thanks to her hopping skills and smaller build. Just a little boost was perfect. Kairi and Namine held their paws out and served as a trampoline of sorts for Judy as she hopped over the wall and dropped on the other side with Xion. Just as Jack had pointed, the security cameras were all turned away from them.

"Good! We're in!" Xion sighed with relief as she stepped forward.

"Wait." Judy held her arm out before taking out her fox repellent and spraying it out on the ground. The spray revealed red laser beams that sprawled across the lawn. "When breaking and entering, never underestimate the use of alarms."

"Good catch!"

Xion began stepping carefully around the red security lasers. It became the ultimate obstacle course. One little hair tripping the alarms would've set them off, alerted the cops, and completely destroyed their plan. Judy was quick on her feet thanks to her determination and graduating at the top of her class, but Xion didn't fare as better and had to be extra careful. Even during her missions with Organization XIII, she never had to deal with this level of stealth. Much to her luck, Xion found a shed around the corner of the house. Remembering the secret shed from Twilight Town, she thought to take a look at it. There was a padlock on it, not too much for a Keyblade. She summoned her Keyblade and fired a beam at the lock, unlocking it.

Judy watched with amusement as Xion opened up the shed and began going down the stairs to a basement. It was just as she predicted. Down in the basement was a large computer surrounded by a large monitor with multiple smaller screens of varying footage. Kairi was absolutely correct. It was the central security system. Each screen was representing a different security camera around the mayor's property. The footage also happened to be high-definition too. Xion looked to the monitor at the top left corner and saw Kairi, Namine, Jack, and Nick all waiting by the front gate.

"Wow, nice discovery! What made you think of that?" Judy asked, impressed with her.

Xion laughed as she sat down at the computer. "We have a shed back at home that's like a secret tunnel, so I never doubt sheds when it comes to anything secret." She grabbed the mouse and keyboard and began typing and clicking away, entering complicated codes and bringing up multiple screens that a normal user wouldn't see.

"So, by hacking into the system, you're bypassing the password?"

"Yep." Xion answered as she continued to type, her eyes never leaving the screen. "By hacking into the deepest darkest depths of the system, I now have complete control of the security system. I can make it as sensitive or not sensitive as I want. I can set up entry security, and I can even play with the camera filters."

"Wow. You know, you'd made a really good cop one day." Judy complimented her with an approving nod.

"Really? You think so?"

Judy nodded. "Between your tough attitude, your smarts, and your hacking skills, you've got the makings."

"It's funny you say that." Xion laughed. "I watch these crime shows all the time and I see these detectives and police officers constantly saving everyone, and...I think it'd be nice to be able to do that one day. Give back to the place and gave me a home."

"Well Xion, you're still young, but work hard, and don't ever give up on your dream, okay? Because what you make of yourself, will determine who you become in the future."

"Thanks, I'll keep that in mind." Xion smiled tenderly "But for now...we have a security system to shut down. And…." She pressed on the enter key after typing in some computer code, and all the security monitors shut down, indicating the cameras were no longer in use and the alarm systems were shut off too.

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Back outside, it was as awkward as anybody would predict. Nick and Jack weren't exactly speaking to each other while Kairi and Namine were either stuck in the middle of the awkwardness or were trying to break the silence, much to their failure. The two of them could only hope that Xion was close to deactivating the security system.

"So, just why exactly did you and Judy break up?" Nick asked.

Jack leaned against the wall, hands in his pockets. "We were graduating high school, and our careers took priority, and took us on different paths. We tried remaining friends, but life happened, and now this is where we're at. What's your story with Hopps?"

"It's kind of a long story." He answered while scratching the back of his head.

"Welp, if you got the time, I'd be inclined to hear it. Judy practically hated foxes her entire life, so for her to partner up with one in the force has got me interested."

"Yes, maybe she had a disdain for foxes in the past. But that was then, and this is now. So, I'd like to keep it that way, if you don't mind." Nick asked, becoming annoyed with Jack.

Much to everybody's relief, Kairi's phone began to ring. All she had to do now was hope that it was Xion calling and not somebody else.

"Xion!" Kairi answered her phone.

"Okay. The system is shut down, you guys are good! Also, Judy is making her way into the house, so she'll meet you guys there. I'm gonna make sure nothing goes wrong here with the system and monitor it."

"Great! Let's go everyone!"

Jack and Nick immediately began pulling on the gate, opening it up now without much trouble. Now, the lot was open. A part of Kairi was stressed over somebody possibly seeing them, but at this point, they were already on the property. Judy ended up hurrying around the back to join everybody else with the investigation. After climbing up the large driveway to the massive front doors that were too short for either Nick or Judy to try and unlock, Kairi got an idea as she saw the decent-sized keyhole beneath the doorknob. She summoned her Keyblade and aimed it up at the keyhole, shooting a beam and unlocking it. The door opened up just enough for everyone to make their way in.

"You know Kairi, this is so illegal, but I'm all for the giant key, so I'm going to approve of it this time." Nick chuckled.

Kairi giggled. "Comes with the title of 'Keyblade Master'." She said while spinning her weapon.

"Don't you mean 'Keyblade _wielder_'?" Namine asked.

"Can't I have just _one minute _to feel good about myself?"

"Shh!" Jack hushed everyone as he led them into the house. "Okay, flashlights." He said as he tossed one to each of them. "Let's split up. Gather anything you think is suspicious."

"Got it!" Kairi said with a nod.

Judy quickly tugged on Kairi's arm. "Actually Kairi, I appreciate you wanting to help, but this is a situation where you don't want to touch _anything _because it can and will be used against you in the court of law. If you find something, let one of us know."

"Okay, I will."

The house inside looked like a serious robbery occurred. It baffled Nick and Judy that the ZPD didn't put caution tape around the property. Then again, Bogo was big on keeping this issue on the downlow from the public. As a mayor's daughter, Kairi could understand that. Destiny Islands locals would make a huge deal if anything seemed out of the ordinary for the mayor. He got the flu one year and everyone freaked out thinking he was going to croak all while Kairi and her mother just needed to help take care of him.

Careful not to shift anything around, everybody split up, looking for clues. While it was harder trying to find anything because the place was so cluttered, there were still clear signs that Mrs. Lionheart went savage. Furniture was torn up such as the sofa, and also the dining room table looked like it had a leg ripped off and that same leg looked as chewed up as a dog's bone after dinnertime. Namine gasped as she found some blood on the floor. She called Nick over and had him examine it. It was dried, but there was enough he could scrape a sample. Judy and Jack had found some footprints and called for Nick to come look at them as well. They were small, but the most peculiar thing wasn't the size of the prints. It was the fact that they weren't pawprints.

"These are really weird…" Judy muttered as she knelt down and took a photo.

Nick nodded as he knelt down next to her. "Yeah, these footprints, they don't look like they were from a mammal."

"A reptile, maybe?" Jack asked.

"These seem awful small for reptile footprints." Judy answered while shaking her head.

Jack stood up and began shining his flashlight around. "I'll go see if there are anymore."

"Judy! Nick!" Kairi called from around the corner. "I found something!" She waved them over before pointing had the claw marks that had mangled the walls all around. "Claw marks."

"Wow. If I didn't know any better, I'd say the Mrs. was in heat today." Nick remarked.

Judy rubbed her gloved paw over the prints before taking a photo. "These claw marks...they're kinda small for a lion." She surveyed the walls and took notice of the marks' difference sizes and depth of how deep they clawed. "In fact, there are two sets of marks. One set is bigger and clawed deeper into the wall than the other."

Namine's eyes darted between two sets of marks. "So, there was another animal here?"

"Maybe…" Kairi muttered. "The only way to find out for sure is if we look at the security cam footage. I better call Xion and see if she can dig into the archives and pull up the video footage." She pulled out her phone and dialed Xion's number.

"Kairi! How's the investigation?" Xion answered.

"Fine. We have some interesting finds, but we're thinking maybe if you can pull up the video footage from when the incident occurred, we can see if there were any other potential suspects involved."

"You got it! So, when did the incident occur?"

Judy flipped through her notepad. "Mrs. Lionheart was brought down to the station at about 5am this morning, and the police apparently showed up at around 4:40am, so, maybe 4:00-4:15am? It had to be quick."

Xion nodded. "Okay, lemme check." She pulled a disc out of the desk drawer and inserted it into the disc drive. "Here, once I find the video footage, I'll copy it onto a disc and we can bring it down to the station and show it to Bogo."

"Good call." Kairi said with a nod. "Call me back if anything changes."

"Guys! Look at this!" Namine called the rest of the group into the master bedroom. She pointed down to what could only be a large black antennae, something that definitely wouldn't belong to any of the mammalian locals of Zootopia. "I think maybe Mrs. Lionheart had a friend here with her."

Nick gawked at the antennae. "Okay, that definitely doesn't look normal."

"It's an antenna." Judy said as she picked it up and placed it into a plastic bag. "That definitely doesn't belong to a mammal."

Jack appeared from outside the room with the evidence he gathered including hair, saliva samples, and photos of destroyed property. "How did it go for you guys?"

"Pretty good, Jack!" Judy answered with confidence. "I think we've gathered a lot here."

"Wait…" Kairi said. She put a paw to her chin and thought it through, putting the pieces together. "Small footprints that don't belong to a mammal, small claw marks, an antenna. Guys, I think the Heartless were here when Mrs. Lionheart went savage!"

"Heartless?" Jack asked.

"They are these creatures that prey on others' hearts. Xion, Namine, and I have been dealing with them for a while now. So, if they turn up here, we know how to handle 'em."

"Totally the only reason we brought them along." Nick said sarcastically.

Judy examined the evidence. "I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I wonder if maybe we're dealing with something entirely different other than the serum. Like, maybe something else is making Mrs. Lionheart go savage?"

"If the Heartless are involved, then definitely." Namine answered.

From behind everybody, a group of Neoshadows as well as some Powerwild and Bouncywild Heartless. The sounds of the squeaking from the Power and Bouncewilds were dead giveaways of their presence and caught the attention of the investigation team.

"Speaking of which, our 'friends' are here." Nick said as he stood by the girls.

Kairi sighed and summoned her Keyblade. "Not now! This is a crime scene investigation!"

"Here." Jack handed the evidence to Nick "You protect that evidence with your life. Judy and I will take care of these guys."

"No no no no. See, you are the bunny here, so _you _can hang onto the evidence and I'll-"

"Nick! Now's not the time to argue!" Judy cut him off.

Jack pulled out one of his pistols and began aiming at the Heartless. They weren't enough to take them out in one hit, far from it, but firing in the right places did do a number on the Heartless, slowing them down and making them stumble. Namine had to be careful this time and relied more on physical attacks so she wouldn't cause too much property damage with her magic spells. Unfortunately, this meant when she went head to head with the Neoshadows, they were much more brutal to her. She attempted to cast Sleep on one when another Neoshadow popped up behind and struck her down. She lay down on the ground for a minute before Kairi hurried over and cast Cura, nearly being tripped by a Powerwild. Those guys were jerks.

Judy was able to trick the Bouncywilds into firing their slingshots at each other before plowing them down to the ground from above. With both Bouncywilds down, Kairi decided to cast her Water spell, deciding that it couldn't do much damage, and finishing them off. Kairi and Namine found themselves surrounded by Neoshadows. Her previous water spell gave her Namine the same idea. The two joined together and did their whirlpool attack before Kairi aimed her Keyblade and finished them off each, one by one, with Pearl. This only left a few Powerwilds, which Jack continued to weaken with his pistol. Judy nodded at Kairi as she got onto the blade and had Kairi swing it, launching her toward the Heartless. Judy bounced between the Heartless like a pinball, practically knocking them off their feet and allowing Kairi and Namine to finish them off.

"Good work everyone!" Judy praised the group. She looked over at Jack, who stuck his pistol back in its holster. "Hmm, you're still in tip top shape after all these years too." She said in a flirtatious tone.

Jack chuckled. "I gotta. You never know when you're gonna run into a pretty girl such as yourself."

"Still a charmer, I see." She said with her cheeks blushing.

Nick gagged in the background. "A 'charmer'? Puh-lease. I'm willing to bet he has warts growing in those perfect ears of his."

"Ew, Nick!" Namine scolded him.

"Well, Xion should have the security video footage by now. I'll call her and-" Kairi began to say until her phone began to ring. "Perfect timing!" She answered the phone to find a distressed Xion on the other line. "Hey! You okay?"

"Kairi! Namine! Everyone! Get out of there!" Xion yelled.

"Why?"

"I have no idea what happened, but the entire operating system just got infected with a virus and now it's flipping out!" She panicked while running outside.

"No! If the system is flipping out! Then that means…" Kairi gasped as sounds of alarms began blaring all over the place. "The alarms!"

"Guys! Grab the evidence and let's go!" Judy demanded.

"I've got it, Carrots! Everybody out!" Nick yelled as he waved them over.

"Hurry!" Jack encouraged.

With all evidence in hand, everybody followed Jack throughout the house. Lights were starting to glow red. Kairi thought the level of security the alarms had was insane and how they suddenly felt like they were in the middle of a prison break. While on the run, she nearly lost her lucky charm when it fell out of her pocket. Luckily, Xion, who ended up catching up with them after she escaped the security basement, grabbed it. As soon as they were back outside, they went to open the gate only for it to be closed and locked from inside, with the intent that intruders be held on the lot until the cops arrived. Frustrated, Jack suggested that everyone begin climbing over the wall. The bunnies were first. Kairi and Namine put their paws together and hoisted Jack over the wall, as they were about to do the same for Judy, another set of Heartless appeared, more Neoshadows, more Powerwilds, and also Hot Rods.

"Oh, you've gotta be kidding me. NOW?" Nick asked.

Kairi summoned her Keyblade. "We gotta take care of them now. Otherwise, they may go cause trouble somewhere else in the city. I hate those cars though…"

"In that case, Jack, go get the van while we take care of the Heartless." Judy demanded.

"Are you sure?" Jack asked with uncertainty in his voice. Judy nodded confidently, giving him approval to flee from the battle to grab the van.

This time, all bets were off. Everyone was out of the house and it was time to show the Heartless who was in charge around here. Kairi and Namine both went to cast Fire spells only for more powerful fire magic shot from their Keyblades and it was multiple flares that shot at multiple enemies. The two laughed, acknowledging that their magic was getting better, the same with Kairi's Water spells and Namine's Blizzard spells. Xion did a slide dash on a Neoshadow before finishing it off with a stun impact. Judy kicked a Powerwild over to Kairi, who finished it off with a Pearl spell. Namine froze a Neoshadow with Blizzara before Nick leapt off a hedge smashed it to the ground with his footpaws.

With the smaller Heartless being taken out, this only left the worst of them, the Hot Rods. Much like before, they continued to relentlessly charge, not giving anybody enough time to react. One Hot Rod plowed through the entire group, knocking them off to the side before it drove out of control. The same one did the same thing, but this time, it charged specifically at Kairi, only for her to cast Reflect and send it flying back toward the wall. With the Hot Rod now stunned, Namine sprung forward and cast Fira only for Xion to bounce off a wall and plunge her Keyblade right into the first one, finishing it off. This left the last one.

As the Hot was getting ready to charge, Xion could see herself getting worked up with these things, almost to the point that her eyes were starting to glow. Kairi and Namine watched as Xion and the Hot Rod both charged at each other, but only one would come out victorious. Xion smacked the Keyblade right into the Heartless and knocked it into the air before unleashing a fury of horizontal and vertical slashes on it. With Xion's berserk active, it was all over for the pathetic Heartless. She allowed herself to plunge down, bringing the Hot Rod with her and drove it into the ground, finishing it off.

"Wow, what was that, Xion?" Namine asked.

Kairi laughed with amusement. "I haven't seen you that angry since you and I battled in the Keyblade Graveyard."

"I don't know. I don't know what overcame me. I _do _have a headache though…" Xion said while holding her head.

"Well, that could've gone much…" Nick, as well as everyone froze as police cars showed up. "Worse."

"Freeze!" One officer yelled, aiming a pistol at them. Everyone held their arms up, the girls dropped their Keyblades on the ground. "You have the right to remain silent!"

"We're so going to jail…" Kairi muttered.

* * *

**A/N: Raise your hand if you hate Hot Rods because I DO! I WASN'T EVEN PLAYING THE GAME AND THOSE A**HOLES PISSED ME OFF WHILE WRITING THE BATTLES! *Breathes heavily* I'm cool...I'm cool. See ya guys next time.**


	35. Zootopia's Most Wanted

**A/N: Okay guys, before we jump into the next chapter, I've got sort of an announcement to make. With Re:Mind's most recent trailer and its release date dropping, as well as us coming up to the end of the year, I've decided that after I finish the Zootopia chapters, this fic will be POSSIBLY going on a TEMPORARY hiatus, depending on how fast I get the rest of the Zootopia chapters done between now and January 23rd. **

**Before you ask, no, I'm not losing interest in the fic. It's because I'm fully invested in it that I WANT to put it on a short hiatus. I'll be putting it on hiatus until Re:Mind releases because there will most likely be DLC content that I will want to implement into OA as we start to get deeper into the story. **

**Plus, and this might be a little more personal reason, but I know of some friends/readers that I've talked to who have fallen behind on my fic because life just got busy for them. The hiatus will not only allow me to play Re:Mind and possibly have some new material to work with AND give others a chance to catch up.**

**Anywho, thanks for understanding! And enjoy the new chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 35: Zootopia's Most Wanted

_**I never thought I'd ever be put in a position that would land me in jail. Needless to say, we were in hot water. However, I don't think the trouble we were in came close to what happened to Nick and Judy. When they brought us into the station, their chief looked like the angriest animal I had ever seen. I could only hope and pray that everything would work out okay for them.**_

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**ZOOTOPIA POLICE DEPARTMENT - BOGO'S OFFICE (1:42 AM)**

"Breaking and entering? Slandering private property? Hacking into the security system?" Bogo yelled. "I oughta have the both of you thrown in jail and fired!"

"Chief! We were only trying to gather evidence." Judy argued. "Jack insisted we accompany him on the case, so we were only doing what we were supposed to do."

"Yes, but there are _laws _that state that a police officer, detective, lawyer, or any other authority figure must be authorized to enter a person's home with or without the homeowner being present. And what's worse? You broke into the home of THE MAYOR! You broke in and entered the house without a warrant. Therefore, you violated your rights as an officer."

"Look, Bogo, we can go on and on about technicalities and laws, but the bottom line is that we did our job and we got the evidence right…" Nick held out his arm. "Uh...Carrots, where is the evidence?"

Judy sighed heavily and slammed her head against the desk. "We gave it to Jack to put into the van…"

"So, you don't have any evidence?" Bogo asked, unamused.

"I...guess we don't…" She said softly, holding her head low and her ears drooping.

"Hopps. You may have been able to solve one major case, but this is only further proving to me that it may just be a one-time wonder for you."

Nick watched as Judy took her badge and began to take it off.

"Sorry Bogo, but we've already started this case, and we intend to finish it." Nick said in a snarky manner.

"That won't be necessary. Jack Savage will be just fine on his own."

"Okay, Buffalo Breath, maybe you didn't hear me right. We are going to _finish _this case."

Bogo huffed before slamming his hooves on the desk. "I knew I never liked you, fox. Keep this up and-"

"And what? You'll arrest us? Sorry, but you already did that. So, here's the deal. We're gonna finish this case. If we fail, you can throw us in the slammer, and if we do, well, you get the picture." Nick negotiated.

Bogo held a cold stare with Nick. From the beginning, he didn't like the fox. He wasn't even that keen on having Nick on the force. Still, the one thing Nick had over Bogo was that he was involved in helping Judy crack the previous serum case and helped save all of the kidnapped predators, proving that he was more than capable of being a police officer. Bogo sighed and sat back in his chair. He rubbed his hooves against his temples and shook his head.

"You have 48 hours to solve this case." Bogo mumbled. "Especially you, fox."

"Great! In 48 hours I'll be accepting _your _apology!" Nick waved him off.

Judy and Nick walked out of the office, leaving a bewildered Bogo behind. Nick was rather confident that they'll be able to solve the case, especially with them having more experience than the last time this occurred. Judy, on the other hand, it seemed that her spirits were shot. Her ears drooped low as she slowly walked down the dark hallway and sat on one of the chairs. Only the little bit of light from the offices and windows shone in, giving Nick enough light to see that Judy, despite how much she may try to deny it, was not okay. He sighed heavily and walked closer to her, rubbing a paw behind his head.

"Carrots?" Nick asked. She didn't answer. "Judy? Hey, what's wrong? We're still on the case."

Judy sighed, turning her face away. "Nick, I...I'm starting to feel like...maybe I shouldn't be assigned to these bigger cases. Maybe Bogo is right. Maybe I am just a one-time wonder."

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! You mean, you think you should just go back to being a meter maid?"

"It was something I was good at. And...I wasn't making everything worse."

"Hey, you don't make everything worse, trust me." Nick rested a paw on her shoulder. "You're...you're always so hard on yourself."

Judy groaned. "Can you blame me? I constantly have to prove to everyone that I can do this! Because at the end of the day, it doesn't matter whether I solve the case or not, because I'm still just a dumb bunny in the eyes of the public!" She yelled before breaking down into tears.

Nick sighed before pulling her into a hug. "Judy, you and I both know you're not just a dumb bunny. You're...more than that." He said in a sincere tone. "You know how hard it is for me to open up to others, and you're one of only a few that I trust. Because...at the end of the day...I'm still just...a predator." He smiled and patted the top of her head. "But, why should we have to prove anything? I'm a fox, and you're a bunny. It's who we are."

"Nick…" She brought her face back up, her eyes reddened from tears.

"I'm always on your side, Carrots." Nick laughed before wiping Judy's tears away.

A smile crept onto Judy's face as she saw the light from outside beaming over Nick. He wasn't wrong, and she knew it. Despite how rocky of a start they had in their relationship, she knew that every step of the way, he's been there for her. This time was no different. He had become different from who we was when she first met him. Before, Judy was lucky if she could get Nick to sit down and have a serious conversation and now, here he was, holding her close to him and wiping her tears.

"Thank you...for everything." Judy muttered softly.

"Now, let's get back to the apartment, look at the evidence, and go from there." Nick said confidently as he broke the hug.

"Yeah. I hope Kairi, Naminé, and Xion are okay."

Three little girls in brightly colored clothes in a jail cell were surely to stick out. The dark musty walls matched the clothing of the other, much larger, female mammals that were locked up. Kairi would attempt to pull 'a Sora' and try to make friends with everyone, but judging by the harsh glares on their faces, as well as their demeaning posture, she knew her friendly approach wasn't going to work. A female tiger approached Xion, demanding her munny. Xion tried to stick up for herself, but once the tiger picked her up by the collar, the munny went to her safety instead of...whatever she was going to spend it on. A couple of of jaguars found themselves drawn to Naminé's hair for some reason and began to play with it. Naminé wanted to tell them to keep their paws to themselves, but considering how well it went for Kairi and Xion, she knew it was best to keep quiet.

Kairi finally had the three of them sit down and be silent. It was obvious that this place was unlike any they had other been. Then again, what should they expect? They were in a jail cell. The other inmates decided that they were bored of themselves and needed some 'entertainment'. Naminé had no idea what that meant, but considering the amount of crime shows and movies both Kairi and Xion had seen, they knew. Without saying a word, Kairi grabbed the paws of both Xion and Naminé and squeezed them, which was more than enough to communicate her fear to them despite trying to put on a brave face and not show that fear to said inmates.

"Girls...I don't wanna get my face smashed…" Naminé whimpered as a female elephant cracked her knuckles.

"I'm sure we'll survive...right?" Xion asked as a female rhinoceros approached her.

"Y-Yeah...just...act tough. Be tough, be tough, be tough." Kairi repeated to herself as her body trembled in fear.

Much to the girls' delight, Nick and Judy arrived in the nick of time, ready to bust them out. "Girls!" Judy called them over.

"Get us out of here!" The three of them yelled as they clamped onto the bars of the cell.

Taking full advantage of her rights as a police officer, Judy unlocked the jail cell, releasing Kairi, Naminé, and Xion. Of course, that wasn't enough. Xion, being the hotheaded one, decided to provoke the rhinoceros that bothered her earlier, which earned her a good and hard yank of her tail. It was enough to teach Xion when silence is golden, and that was one of those moments. Kairi and Naminé both grabbed her by her arms and walked her out of the station.

Judy texted Jack before they left the station, trying to figure out where he was. He said to just meet him at the condo. She was able to breathe a sigh of relief that he got away just fine. Unlike the area where Duke Weaselton lived, Jack was staying in much nicer and kept up neighborhood.

"Jack! What happened with the van?" Judy asked as everyone stepped inside.

Jack sighed as he held out a car towing document. "Apparently we parked in a 'no parking' zone. Who knew?"

"I told you we'd get towed…" Nick muttered.

"Okay. Now that we're all here, let's look at that evidence!" Xion said as she pumped a fist.

"Right! Oh, and by the way Jack, we only have 48 hours to solve this case." Judy pointed out.

"Don't worry Judy, I've got your back."

The evidence was all laid out, from photographs to samples to the video footage that Xion managed to snag from security. Naminé was in charge of keeping watch to make sure nobody was stalking them or in case any Heartless showed up and they wouldn't mess with any of the evidence. Jack booted up his computer and was able to scan the fur and blood sample. They both identified as Leona Lionheart, the mayor's wife and the victim. It wasn't exactly helpful in terms of seeking out a suspect, not like the photographs that Judy snagged of the footprints and the two sets of claw marks. Jack even found a tooth that was in the wall close by where he found some of the smaller claw marks. He found that the tooth also belonged to Leona. It seemed that despite them not being able to find a prime suspect, the group agreed one one big thing regarding the case.

"Signs are definitely pointing toward the Heartless being involved, especially since they attacked us at the house." Kairi said.

"Yep, I agree. But let's take a look at the video footage." Judy said as she turned on Jack's TV.

After popping in the disc, everyone kept their eyes on the screen for several minutes without any sort of activity. It was just a security camera of the master bedroom of the mayor's house. The Lionhearts were both sound asleep and without a peep. Surely, something would happen within a couple minutes right? Oh, if only. The video had a solid fifteen minutes of the Lionhearts tossing and turning and sleeping. Even Xion was getting bored with it and she was the one who was the most on board with everything going on with the case. Naminé finally came in to check everyone since nothing was happening outside and decided to join in watching the video footage.

Nick sighed. "If this was a movie, this would either be the most boring movie ever or the scariest."

"Nothing's happening." Xion muttered in frustration.

"Patience, something's bound to happen." Jack said as he sat close to Judy.

Finally, the mayor got out of bed, just as he mentioned in his testimony. Not very long after he was out of the camera's view, a couple bodies appeared within the window. One of them was rounder while the other thinner, but that was all anyone could identify since they were very well-disguised in their dark clothes. The thinner one pointed out Mrs. Lionheart before climbing up and out of the window's view. On the other hand, the rounder one took a bat and smash it into the window, causing Mrs. Lionheart to shoot up in bed, snapping out of her deep sleep from the noise.

"There! Someone bashed in the window with a bat!" Judy pointed out. The video kept going. Mrs. Lionheart stepped over to the window quickly before a figure appeared in a tree outside the window and shot Mrs. Lionheart.

"There! So, it was just as you said, Judy." Jack said as he studied the figure. "Somebody got a hold of the serum."

"Bellwether was the guilty party the last time." Nick muttered. "She truly was a wolf in sheep's clothing."

Kairi thought for a moment. "Do you think she would strike twice?"

"She's in prison. It's impossible…" Judy said with uncertainty in her voice. "Right…?" She asked Nick.

"Judy!" Xion tapped her arm. "You said a wolf in sheep's clothing?" Judy nodded in response. "Well, if you pause the video…" She pressed the pause button and zoomed in on the screen while slowly scrubbing the video's timeline. She scrubbed until she could barely see the one responsible for breaking the window. "Look, hooves and wool." Xion pointed it out.

"A sheep…So Bellwether must be behind this." Jack frowned.

Naminé nodded as the video continued to play. She gasped as Shadow Heartless appeared in the house, engaging with Mrs. Lionheart in a vicious throwdown. "Heartless! They _were _at the house!"

"Looks like we have a lead, everyone!" Kairi said with confidence. "Nick, Judy, I think we may know who's responsible for this."

"Who?" They both asked.

"There's three of them: Luxu, Aros, and Kaguya." Kairi listed them off. "They've been bugging us for a while now, but they're usually the ones responsible for the Heartless. Look, even the figure who shot Mrs. Lionheart looks like it could've been Aros or have the same body type."

"But why would either of them want to go after the mayor's wife?" Naminé asked.

Xion rolled her eyes. "Well, in Aros' case, it's just to be a jerk. As for Kaguya and Luxu, I'm not sure."

"But that still leaves the sheep." Jack said. "If Bellwether nearly got away with it the first time, that gives very little reason why she wouldn't refine her plan and try to strike again."

"Then we'd better get to the bottom of this quickly, otherwise she will try to frame somebody innocent." Judy said with slight urgency in her voice. "First, we'd better head down to the prison."

**ZOOTOPIA CITY PRISON - (11:41 AM)**

As much as Judy wanted to go directly to the prison right away, the girls needed sleep. In fact, everyone needed sleep. It was already late enough by the time they were finished looking at the evidence. A nap wouldn't hurt right? The nap turned into sleeping in until 10 the next morning. Judy was a little freaked out that everyone slept in, but nevertheless, they did manage to get a move on right away when she woke everyone up the next morning. When they walked into the prison that morning, it was what everyone expected. The waiting area was dark and empty, and there was a big brown bear, the guard, who sat at the check-in desk eating honey buns while watching reality TV.

"Excuse me, sir." Judy approached the guard. "Officer Judy Hopps of the ZPD. I would like to speak with Bellwether. She's booked in here."

"Oh Bellwether? Yeah, she's gone." The guard said with a yawn.

"WHAT?" Nick and Judy asked in unison.

Jack folded his arms. "Just as I suspected."

"How long has she been missing for?" Xion asked.

"A couple nights now...it was out of nowhere too."

Judy sighed in frustration. "And I wasn't notified...why?"

The guard shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know...something about you breaking in and getting caught or something."

Kairi shook her head while groaning. "Look! We were looking for evidence!"

"Listen kid, I don't make the rules around here!" The guard growled.

"I'll handle this." Judy said as she rested a paw on Kairi's arm. "Sir, can we just take a look?"

"Fine...next episode of Desperate Houselionesses doesn't start for another hour anyway."

The guard got up from his desk and unlocked the ward for Judy and Nick. The two of them led the girls through, making sure they stayed close. If they thought the simple jail cell they stayed in was bad, this made that one look like a walk through the 100 Acre Wood with Winnie the Pooh. These criminals were much worse. Some of them looked like they hadn't eaten in weeks. Some of them looked like they were affected by harmful substances. Some were just crazy, sitting in the corners of their cells muttering to themselves. Kairi held onto Naminé and Xion's paws as the three of them attempted to ignore the criminals that were gawking at them.

At the end of the hall, there was a cell that was once where Bellwether served her sentence. However, as was indicated by the giant hole in the wall, she was no longer there. Judy was rather surprised that the building didn't start to cave in due to the amount of foundation that was destroyed.

"How...did this happen?" Jack asked as he brushed the debris with his paw.

"Somebody with a _really _strong jackhammer." Nick answered.

Kairi frowned. "This has 'Aros and Kaguya' written all over it. They have the power to pull a stunt like this."

Judy studied the hole in the wall. "This looks like somebody blasted a hole. How was this unnoticed and not reported?"

"Who knows?" The guard muffled with his mouth full of honey bun. "Probably because the news of the mayor's wife going savage took priority."

"Priority?" Naminé asked. "More than a criminal breaking out of prison?"

"Yep. If an elected official is attacked, it's always a bigger deal than anything else going on in the world."

"But Chief Bogo wanted to keep that issue a secret from the city." Judy argued.

"Even if it's only police matters. If it comes down to it, ZPD is gonna focus on the mayor's wife and basically leave it to an outsider force. Why else do you think this city has a problem with prison breaks?"

"It all makes sense!" Judy exclaimed. "Of course! Bellwether had to break out before the incident occurred because she knew her breakout would've taken less priority than the mayor's wife being attacked and going savage!"

Xion nodded. "Aros and Kaguya must've made a deal with her or something!"

"So, all we gotta do is track down Bellwether and nab the serum." Jack said confidently. "Look at you, Judy!"

"Thanks!" Judy said as she laughed sheepishly. "It was no big deal, really."

Nick rolled his eyes, ignoring Jack's remark. "Anywho, what about this Aros and Kaguya group?"

"Hmmm…." Kairi thought to herself. "Well...maybe we can...set a trap. If Bellwether is in cahoots with them, we can arrest her, and set it up to have Aros and Kaguya show up, and then at that point, Xion, Naminé, and I can take care of them." She said while gripping her Keyblade. "They're our problem, not yours."

"Hey, we're all a team here." Judy assured her. "We'll help you with Aros and Kaguya too."

"Yeah, we got your back, ladies." Nick said while patting Kairi on the back.

**SAVANNA CENTRAL - DINER (1:30 PM)**

In true crime-solving fashion, the group retreated to Savanna Central to try and come up with lead for Bellwether's location. That, and also, everyone suddenly found themselves hungry. In a secluded booth, giving them _somewhat_ some privacy to talk this out, Judy had multiple maps set out on the table. One was a giant map of all of Zootopia while on top of that map where a bunch of smaller ones detailing the different districts. Without a lead on their suspect's location, any place in Zootopia was a possibility. Even Xion found the idea of having to search the entire city to be overwhelming.

"So...now begs the question of where we would find Bellwether?" Kairi asked as she studied the map.

"That's…a good question." Judy said in a hopeless tone. "We didn't even see her coming last time. She hid it so well."

"A wolf in sheep's clothing." Jack said while shaking his head.

"Can't we check out her most familiar places? Like her house or maybe her former office?" Naminé asked.

Xion nodded. "She wouldn't go there. Back when I was in the organization, we never went back to home base if somebody was in pursuit of us. That was always the first place to look."

"Xion is right." Nick nodded in agreement. "If I was a criminal who broke out of prison, I'd go to the last place anybody would think to find me. That place, would also happen to be the last place I would want to be at."

Kairi folded her arms and tapped her foot. "So, where would that be?"

"Well…" Judy thought for a moment, pacing back and forth. "Where would Bellwether never want to find herself at?"

Jack stopped her in her tracks. "What is the one thing she hates the most? We can probably narrow it down from there."

"She hates predators...she can't stand them…"

"So that means she could be anywhere in Zootopia. This place is crawling with predators." Xion remarked in a frustrated tone.

Nick snickered before leaning against the van. "Maybe, but you bunnies may not know about this." He took the map of Sahara Square and pointed to the downtown area. "There is a nightclub in Sahara Square called Wild Times. It's the biggest nightclub in Zootopia and is exclusively open to predators. Surely, if Bellwether was looking to be on the run, she would probably stick around that nightclub because nobody would think to look for her in a club that she wouldn't even be allowed in."

"Hmmm, sly fox!" Judy complimented him. "This is why I have you as my partner."

"I guess we're gonna check the club then. The only problem is that a lot of the nightclubs don't open until late." Jack said with a sigh.

"Don't worry Jack, that'll give us the afternoon to prepare." Judy said with a smirk on her face.

"Prepare?" Naminé asked.

Xion's eyes widened. "Does this mean…?"

"Are we going clubbing tonight?" Kairi asked, her excitement rising.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we're going clubbing…" Judy paused as she narrowed her eyes. "Undercover."

Kairi, Naminé, and Xion were all on board with this, especially when this mission included a trip to the mall! The ladies had to make sure they looked their best to diffuse any sort of suspicion within the club. Not to mention, the three of them also had to somehow make themselves look a few years older since they weren't allowed in the club due to them being only teenagers. Judy took herself and the other three to 'Moosy's', the ultimate clothing store where they could find _everything_. It was so overwhelming. Kairi was never one to go on a big shopping spree, but she had a field day looking at all the different outfit possibilities. She couldn't take too long though, Judy wanted to get to the club right when it opened that night.

While the girls were shopping, Jack was working on disguises for himself and Judy. Since prey wasn't allowed in the club, he had to scramble and make something fast, yet convincing. Nick was in charge of reverting back to his 'immoral' ways temporarily and made some fake IDs for Kairi, Naminé, Xion, Jack, and Judy. The girls needed them since they were underrage and Jack and Judy needed them to match their disguised selves. Nick typed in the different names in the ID cards. When it came to Jack's name, he thought to type in 'Jack Ass Donkeybutt' for his full name, but Judy caught him as soon as she and the girls returned from shopping.

Each of the girls took a turn changing into their new cocktail dresses that each of them purchased from Moosy's. The good thing about them being animals was not having to fret as much about hair and makeup since their entire bodies are covered in fur. Kairi slipped on her mahogany dress that dropped to right before her knees and sparkled. She examined herself and almost wondered if it would still fit her when she reverted back to a human. No harm in hanging onto it, right?

"Okay, how do I look?" Kairi asked as she stepped out of the bedroom and twirled in her dress.

Naminé and Xion both gasped. "You look amazing!" They both said in unison.

"Thanks! Oh my gosh, I feel so grown up in this…and you both look so beautiful." She gazed at Xion's black dress and Naminé's navy blue dress.

"Thank you, Kairi." Naminé laughed. "Imagine if Sora, Riku, and Roxas were here to see us right now." She giggled.

"Their jaws would definitely drop, but I don't know if it's because we're wolves, or because we look _really hot_, or both." Xion answered.

Once the girls were dressed, Nick was all dressed up in his clubbing clothes,which basically meant a white button-up shirt with black slacks and a red jacket, sunglasses to shield his face. He nodded in approval at the girls' dresses. They did look like they could pass for adults...for the most part. All everyone needed was to wait for Jack and Judy to finish getting ready. They not only had to change clothes, but also put on their disguises. Thanks to Jack's brilliant undercover experience, he was able to make masks, handpaws, and footpaws that looked like they'd belong to a cat, a perfect predator that would fit the similar size of a rabbit. Jack finished first and stepped out of the bedroom, slipping his cat mask over his head.

"Okay, how do I look? Do I look like a predator?" Jack asked.

"Oh yes, a very _scary _pussy cat." Nick said sarcastically, only to earn a glare from Jack.

Kairi rolled her eyes and patted Jack on the back. "You look fine. Also, you got the fake IDs?"

"Right here, sweetheart." Jack said as he held out the cards. "Two for me and Judy, and three for you girls. Happy 21st birthday, ladies."

"Wow…" Xion gazed at her ID card's photo. "I gotta save this!"

"Why does this feel wrong?" Naminé asked.

"Because technically this is illegal, but we're doing it for a good cause. Just make sure you don't try to use it back at home." Kairi warned her.

"Alright, just about everyone's ready?" Jack asked.

"Almost. Just waiting for Carrots." Nick said as he leaned against the sofa. "Carrots! You ready? The club opens soon!"

Judy stepped out of the room with her entire dress and disguise on except for the mask. "So, what do you think?" She asked shyly.

"Wow…" Nick breathed out.

Jack smirked and nodded. "You look like you did when I took you to the prom."

"Thanks, guys." She thanked them while blushing.

"You look really pretty!" Kairi complimented her, Naminé and Xion nodding in agreement.

"Oh, you're all sweet, thank you." Judy straightened herself up before gathering everyone up together. "Okay, we're gonna take the cruiser and the van and split up so we don't look suspicious. Here, hang onto these so you can identify Bellwether." She said as she handed out small photos of the suspected sheep.

"Got it!" Xion said affirmatively.

Jack grabbed his keys and jingled them. "Nick, you take the girls in the cruiser and Judy and I can take the van."

"Uh...I would...eh…" Nick tried to protest.

"Sounds like a plan! Everyone move out!" Judy said before throwing the keys to Nick.

Nick, feeling frustrated, dragged his footpaws over to the cruiser. He watched as Judy went off with Jack towards the van, heaving a sigh. The girls could tell that something was off with him, but didn't want to pry at the same time. It wasn't until the four of them were all buckled in and heading down to the club that it became awkwardly silent. Kairi was in the passenger seat twiddling her paws, stealing glances of a very focused Nick every now and then while Naminé and Xion were just kicking their legs back and forth, whistling. It was a decent drive to Sahara Square and Naminé, who was one that wasn't the biggest fan of complete silence, decided she was going to bite the bullet and break it.

"You okay, Nick?" Naminé asked.

"Yeah, you seem quiet." Xion added.

"It's...fine…" Nick said softly.

Kairi shook her head. "No, it's not fine. Something's bothering you." She smiled warmly at him. "You can tell us. We don't mind listening."

"It's just...complicated, that's all. You girls wouldn't understand."

"Try me!" Kairi challenged him.

Nick sighed, shaking his head. He had already been proven wrong with how useful the girls had been during this case. Maybe they did understand? What did he have to lose? "Well, haven't you noticed that since Jack arrived that...Judy doesn't seem to…"

"Judy kind of pushes you to the side?" Xion filled in.

"I guess you could say that." Nick said with a shrug.

Kairi studied his face, before smiling. "And now, you're worried that Judy's gonna replace you with Jack, right?"

"N-Not replace!" He tried to deny her accusations. "Why would I think that? Why would that even bother me? I've been a loner most of my life." Nick lowered his voice. "Judy was the first and only I ever opened up to in my life. I thought...I thought maybe we had...you know...something unique. But...I guess I was just imagining things, you know?"

"So...do you like her?" Naminé asked.

"Of course I do, she's my partner and someone precious to me."

Kairi laughed softly. "No, Naminé means do you _like _her? Like, as in, do you want to _date _her?"

"Date?" Nick asked, his eyes widening. "Nu-uh! See, this is where I put my foot down." He said as he stomped his foot on the brake at a red light. "Judy and I are friends and partners on the force, that's all we're ever gonna be." His tone lowered, to a disappointing one. "Besides...a fox and a bunny? Have you ever seen two species together? Have you heard of a fox and a bunny having children together? Besides, nobody would accept it…"

Nick's comment sent another wave of silence throughout the car. Neither of the girls had ever thought about that possibility. Kairi took it to heart. She thought about Naminé and Xion, and their trials and tribulations when it came to love. She thought about how Xion was still trying to understand the concept of it. She thought about Naminé and how she understood it thanks to her being so connected to her, but how confused she was about it still. Were her feelings genuine? Or were they lingering feelings for another? Kairi thought about her and Sora. She thought about how fate never seemed to be on their side. Love wasn't easy for _anyone_, and it was also unique for everyone, including Nick.

"Well, I would accept it." Naminé said, breaking the silence.

Xion nodded while smiling. "So would I."

Nick's ears perked up at the girls' answers. "You would?"

"Of course!" Kairi said sincerely. "Love is a strong connection between two hearts. It doesn't matter _who _you are or _what _you are. Everybody deserves to find love, no matter who they like. So hey, if you want to date a bunny who is your best friend and accepts you for who you are, then go date that bunny, and don't let what anyone else says deter you from that."

Nick sighed before smiling. "You know, you may be young, but you're pretty wise for your age."

"I'm not wise." Kairi shook her head while laughing. "That's just what I feel. So, you should ask Judy out when all of this is done!"

"Uh...oh no, I've...I haven't been on a date in _years_."

Naminé shrugged her shoulders. "Neither has Judy. You two are perfect for each other!"

"Well, I can't deny that." He said with a chuckle.

"And hey, I can tell from the way Judy looks at you, that she cares so much about you." Xion said with confidence.

"Well, I thank you ladies for the confidence boost. I'll...take what you said into consideration." Nick said as he kept his eyes fixated on the road.

"Just remember, in dangerous situations like this, you don't always have all the time in the world to share your feelings." Kairi said softly. "Life is short."

Nick nodded slowly, taking Kairi's words to heart. "Life's...too short...thanks."

**SAHARA SQUARE - WILD TIMES (6:22 PM)**

Upon arriving at the club, Jack and Nick decided to park the cars a little further away to avoid any curious listeners. Before getting out of the van, Jack and Judy completely covered their identity with their disguises. Nick didn't have to worry as much about disguising since he was the only one legally allowed to be there, but due to him being a cop now, he figured at least some sunglasses would do the trick. Kairi got out of the car and gazed upon the large nightclub in front of her. There were clubs on the island, but they were much smaller and she didn't really think much of them since they were downtown and she avoided that area being only 16 and not allowed into most of the places there. Poor Naminé and Xion knew nothing about nightclubs and had no idea what they were getting themselves into.

"Okay...everyone here." Judy said with a whisper as she rounded the group up. "Once we get inside, we split up, we search for Bellwether, once we have her spotted, we know the code?"

"The lion sleeps tonight." Nick recited back.

"Perfect! Okay, Operation Bellwether, let's move on out!"

Getting _into _the club was stressful. Judy knew that if she got caught sneaking in, her job would be on the line, especially bringing the underrage girls with her. Still, if anyone was going to take the blame in the case they got caught, Judy volunteered to do so. She and Jack when up first, showing their fake IDs to the bouncer. He looked at them carefully before giving them the nod to get in. Nick had no issue getting in. It turned out he was a regular before getting his job in the force. When it came to the girls, Judy stopped and watched, making sure they got in okay. The bouncer had to do double takes, not because the pictures looked inaccurate, but because of how young the girls looked. He finally let them through, the girls heaving sighs of relief as they brushed past the bouncer to get into the club.

"Hold it!" The bouncer demanded, the girls stopping in their tracks. Kairi's heart started pounding, ready to burst out of her chest. He finally calmed down when the bouncer came over and held out her lucky charm to her. "You dropped this, miss."

"Oh thanks!" Kairi laughed sheepishly as she took her charm and shoved it back into her pouch. "Why did I bring this along?" She muttered to herself.

The outside of the club was rather quiet, all things considered, and with the exception of a few young adult predators talking amongst each other. Once inside, it became crazy town. It was super packed, animals were loud, it smelled really funky, and the environment just felt strange, especially for the young ones. Xion was rather bold as she travelled her way through the club with purpose, ignoring anyone who wanted to try and socialize with her. Poor Naminé was trying her best. Between the crowded area and the loud music that made it impossible for her to even hear herself, she started to feel a little bit anxious, but was thankfully able to keep herself together. She continued to remind herself that they were on a mission.

"Just keep moving, Naminé...Just keep moving…" Naminé repeated to herself.

"Hey baby! What's a pretty little thing like you doing here by yourself?" A wolf asked as he began dancing dangerously close behind her.

"Excuse me?" She asked, clearly annoyed by him. She scoffed and just moseyed her way on through.

In an attempt to be as inconspicuous as possible, Nick retreated to the bar. He took Kairi there with him and figured she could start from there and make her rounds. Nick ordered a drink and sat casually on a stool, keeping an eye out for anyone that had any resemblance to a sheep. Kairi pushed her way through the large crowds of drinkers and dancers, having to shoo off multiple wolves that tried to offer to buy her a drink.

"Looking for a sheep...Looking for a sheep...where am I gonna find a sheep where it's filled with mostly predators?" Kairi asked herself. Immediately after, her foot stepped in something that made her wince. "Bleh..you'd think they'd keep this place cleaner and not let everyone shed!" Her eyes narrowed as she looked down and noticed what looked like curled hairs on the ground. "Shedding...of course. We're in the desert. It's too hot for a sheep's wool, and when it's too hot for an animal's fur coat, they shed…" Kairi took her phone out and started sending a text message to everyone in their group chat.

"Hmm...look for 'curled hairs' and follow them." Judy read Kairi's message that she sent to everybody. She looked down at her feet and noticed the same curled hairs that Kairi found. "Curled hairs? Shedding! Of course!"

Thanks to Kairi's text message, everybody started searching around for the same hairs that she found on the ground. Between the whole group, Nick was the one who struck gold. He saw a couple hairs on the ground and saw that it had formed a trail. There was a predator who looked smaller than him. Nick smirked as he followed the trail. It also didn't help that this predator's foot steps sounded like hooves tapping too. They began picking up the pace, as if they had figured out that they were being followed. Nick was a sly fox though, he cut through a bunch of other predators and was able to catch up. He grabbed them by the back of their clothes and held them up, causing Bellwether to be revealed after her mask had fallen off.

"Gotcha Bellwether!" Nick hissed as he picked her up by the back of her outfit. "The lion sleeps tonight everyone!"

"NO WE DON'T!" A random lion yelled back.

"N-n-no listen! I can explain!" Bellwether stammered as she squirmed in Nick's grip. She gasped as she saw Judy, Jack, and the girls hurrying toward her. "Hopps! Jack Savage?"

"Good seeing you again, sweetheart." Jack said with false enthusiasm.

Nick sighed and held his head low. "Don't tell me, another ex?"

"No, I was one of his college professors! Oh yeah, you don't know this about me, I used to teach political science at Zootopia University!" Bellwether explained while laughing sheepishly.

"Save it, Bellwether. You broke out of prison, and are back with your old schemes again." Judy said harshly. "You are under arrest, and this time, the punishment _will _be a lot more severe."

"Not to mention, you being in cahoots with the ones responsible for the Heartless wrecking havoc here!" Kairi said with her voice raised.

"Heartless? What are-"

Shrieking screams echoed through the nightclub as a large Werewolf Heartless burst through the doors. The snarling and howling that accompanied its vicious nature were enough to upset even the toughest predators.

"Everybody! Get out of here now!" Kairi yelled as she summoned her Keyblade.

"Boy, this one picked a great time to attack!" Xion said with sarcasm.

"W-What is that thing?" Bellwether asked, her body trembling.

"Like you don't know." Jack said while scoffing.

"I'm serious! I've never seen that thing in my life! Please! Get me out of here, officers!" She pleaded.

Judy sighed. Yes, Bellwether was a criminal, but she was also a citizen in trouble. Begrudgingly, she handed Bellwether over to Jack. "Here, take Bellwether outside, but keep her there! We'll deal with her after we get this guy!"

Kairi yelled at the Heartless to get its attention on her and her friends, giving the clubbers a chance to escape. After letting out a howl, the Heartless began charging toward the group, its claws charging and ready to strike. Taking advantage of its larger size and the fact that it was five against one, everyone split up. Kairi ran toward a wall and lunged herself off, sending her into a spiral attack toward the Werewolf. She was able to get him in the back, causing him to whip around and knock Xion, who was surrounding herself in a surge of fire, back against the wall. She brushed it off and hurried back. Naminé cast Blizzara on Werewolf's feet, allowing Judy to bounce off the walls and kick it right in the jaw, causing it to wail out in pain.

Werewolf lunged forward and knocked Judy back against the wall. She was hit pretty hard and blacked out for a bit. Naminé hurried over and cast Cure on her, allowing her to hop right back up and back into battle. Xion slid right underneath the Heartless before launching right up and knocking it onto its back and leaving its stomach wide open. Nick began grabbing the chains around its paws, one by one, and held them down while Naminé froze them to the ground. Now with Werewolf's abdomen completely open, this left Kairi to deliver the finishing move. As she was about to plunge her Keyblade into the Heartless, it used one of its hind legs and countered back before ripping its chains free from the ice.

Nick growled as he ran over to help Kairi up from the ground. He searched around before realizing what the bar had and could be used. Nick had the girls work on keeping Werewolf's mouth open as he ran over to the bar. He grabbed as many bottles of alcohol as his paws could hang onto before chucking them into Werewolf's mouth. The glass was not only shattering in its mouth and causing it pain, but the alcohol was going into its system. Like how any human would react, the more that went into the Heartless, the weaker it became as its coordination started to suffer. Werewolf began to stumble, finally giving everyone ample opportunity to finally get rid of it for good.

Naminé cast Blizzara and made an ice slope or Xion to use. She skid the slope and smacked the Heartless in the chin from below, an uppercut that she was very fond of using. Nick launched Judy forward and she kicked it even further back, causing the Werewolf to go back to being stuck on its back, this time, not focused enough to try and get back up. Kairi leapt from on top a table and did a flip before plunging down, Keyblade first. She thrust her Keyblade into the chest of the Heartless, bringing an end to its thrashing. Kairi caught her breath as Werewolf faded away, another victory for her and her team, as well as Nick and Judy. The two of them fist bumped each other while the girls high-fived each other. While the battle was done, business was far from over. Jack was outside with Bellwether, and they still had to confront her.

"Okay, start talking Bellwether!" Xion demanded as they approached her.

Bellwether breathed heavily. "Listen, I know this looks baaaaaad." She covered her mouth after her slip up. "'Scuse me!" She giggled. "But listen, you gotta believe me. This isn't my doing this time!"

"If it wasn't you, then who was it?" Jack asked, shooting a deadly glare toward her.

"It was…" Her eyes darted between everyone, whose scowls didn't help the pressure that was on her shoulders at the moment. "It was…"

"Spit it out, Bellwether!" Nick growled.

"It was Doug!"

"Wait...Doug? As in...the guy who helped you the last time?"Judy asked.

"That's the one!" Bellwether nodded desperately.

"Hmmm…what do you guys think?" Kairi asked.

Nick thought for a moment before bringing out his handcuffs. "Cuff her!"

"Listen! You're making a big mistake!" Bellwether tried to argue as Judy locked a tight pair of handcuffs around her hooves.

"No, _you _made the mistake. We caught you on video surveillance." Judy rebutted.

"Video surveillance? What video?"

"The mayor's house has security cameras everywhere, and we have video footage of you right there in the van." Xion said while folding her arms.

"Video footage? Can I see the footage? Please! Just for a moment?" Bellwether pleaded.

This could have been as easy as just sending Bellwether back to prison where she belonged, but Judy was always the type who gave everyone, criminals included, the benefit of the doubt. It was a blessing and a curse. It was a curse because it meant a longer process to get criminals arrested and behind bars, but this would be one of those cases where it would turn out to be a blessing. Everyone climbed into the back of Jack's van as he pulled out his laptop and inserted the video disc.

"This better be good Bellwether…" Jack muttered.

"Watch…" She said as she scrubbed through the footage to the point where the window was broken. "You see?"

Kairi shrugged her shoulders. "Looks like a sheep to me."

"No! Look closer!"

Xion zoomed in on the screen and gasped at what she saw. "Guys...Bellwether's right. Look," She pointed. "That 'sheep' has horns…"

"Bellwether doesn't have horns." Judy muttered as she studied the suspect's face.

"See? I told you!"

"If Bellwether isn't the one who attacked, then who was it?" Naminé asked.

"I told you, it was Doug!" Bellwether repeated herself.

"How do you know if it was Doug? You had more than one ram working for you during the serum case." Jack asked.

Bellwether took in a deep breath. "Because...Doug was the one who busted me out of jail. He's planning on getting revenge by going after Mayor Lionheart. He offered me to go with him, but I wanted nothing to do with it. I wanted to get out of here and have a fresh start, go be with my own kind somewhere. I knew that with our escape, the ZPD would be all over the place, so I retreated here, thinking nobody would ever find me in a nightclub full of predators." She explained, a tone of urgency in her voice.

"Told ya." Nick said with a chuckle.

"You believe me, don't you, Judy?"

Judy sighed. "Well, regardless of whether we believe you or not," She put away the notebook she was taking notes in. "We do have to take you back to the Zootopia prison because you did break out before your sentence was completed. But, thank you for the information!"

With Bellwether caught from her prison escape and arrested again, Judy called for backup to have another team take her back to the station. She technically could've done it herself, but with having not much longer to solve the case, that was her priority. After her fellow officers showed up to take Bellwether away, it was time to move onto the next plan of action. They had a new suspect, Doug, Bellwether's assistant from the serum incident. Nick and Judy vividly remembered him being responsible for creating the bullets out of the serum and what ultimately caused the predators to go savage last time. Judy already knew deep down that if they let this go for too long, then Zootopia could be in trouble again.

"Should we roll out and try to track down this guy?" Xion asked.

Jack nodded. "Yeah, but I'm just gonna use the restroom quickly."

"Alright, we'll be here!" Judy turned to the girls, who were itching to change back into their normal clothes. "Hey, thanks for your help. I know there's a lot going on, but your help has been appreciated."

Kairi laughed. "No problem, Judy! It's just weird that we haven't seen Aros or Kaguya at all and usually they pop out by now when the Heartless are around."

"Maybe they're giving us a break?" Xion suggested.

"No, something fishy's going on, but I guess we'll figure it out once we help Nick and Judy finish up this case." She shook her head.

"In the meantime, do we have any idea where Doug might be?" Naminé asked.

"Not really, but with Carrots and I being police officers, that _does _give us access to permanent records. So, I say we head back down to headquarters and go through Doug's personal record." Nick suggested.

"That's our best option. We can take off as soon as Jack gets-"

"Back! Heh...ironically, the bathroom is the cleanest part of that nightclub." Jack jested. "So, where are we off to next?"

"We're going back to ZPD to take a look at Doug's personal records." Xion answered.

"Great, Judy, ride with me?"

"Sure, Jack!" Judy perked up.

Jack snickered as he looked toward Nick. "Foxy mama can take the kids."

"Okay, you know what-" Nick attempted to say before Jack shut the door, leaving him and the girls. "Am I the only one who's sick of him?"

Kairi folded her arms and frowned. "I don't appreciate him treating you that way."

"Are you okay, Nick?" Naminé asked.

"You know what? It's fine! I've always taught myself to never let them see that they get to ya, and I'm gonna keep it that way. Come on, let's head down to the station."

If the girls couldn't feel the tension the last time they rode with Nick, this time was different. Kairi was definitely getting similar vibes from him. She thought back to how Riku was sometimes act like a show off when he was trying to impress her when she was younger and how it bothered Sora so much. She was grateful he eventually grew out of it. The awkward car ride proved to not last too long once they got out onto the highway back to Savanna Central. Nick heard a loud noise and the car started to feel really bumpy. He groaned and smacked his fists against the steering wheel before pulling over. Jack saw them pulling over and did the same as well.

"Aaah you're kidding!" Nick growled.

"What's wrong?" Xion asked.

Nick got out of the car and checked it out. "Flat tire! Great! And we don't have a spare!"

"Nick? Is there a problem with the cruiser?" Judy asked as she came over.

"Oh no, no problem at all except for WE HAVE A FLAT AND DON'T HAVE A SPARE!"

Jack laughed sheepishly. "Nick, calm down, I have a spare in the back. No need to get uptight about it."

"Don't talk to me right now!" Nick growled toward him.

"Nick, calm down, he hasn't done anything wrong." Judy said in an annoyed tone.

"Oh sure, take _his _side! All because he's a dumb bunny like you." He mumbled.

Kairi gasped. "Oh...he did _not _just say that."

"Excuse me, _what _did you call me?" Judy asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"I didn't call you anything! I was talking about your stupid boyfriend!"

"Jack is not my boyfriend, Nick. We dated in high school!" She argued.

"Uh...this is getting awkward…" Xion whispered to Kairi and Naminé, who nodded in agreement.

"Oh sure, and he wants to be 'just friends' and that's why he's been attached to you like a leech this entire time! And he's 'so accepting' of all species too?" Nick ranted.

Jack chuckled. "Hey, you of all of us should know how shifty foxes can be?"

"Look, right now, you're hopping through the garden, so I suggest you not push me right now." Nick threatened as she stepped closer to Jack.

"Okay! Everyone here just needs to calm down! We're all stressed out, but we don't need to fight like this!" Judy said as she got between the two of them.

As a full argument broke out between Nick, Judy, and Jack, the girls could only simply exchange awkward looks with each other. Kairi didn't know anything about changing a tire on a car, but figured in the amount of the time the adults were taking to argue, she could at least make an effort to try and change it. She crept past the arguing trio and over to the van where the spare tire awaited. As Kairi was about to reach for it, everyone went quiet as they heard the sound of a howl in the distance. Neither of them knew where it came from or who was causing it. The only thing that came from it was Kairi sticking her nose in the air and suddenly beginning to howl along with the mysterious night howler.

"Shhh! Kairi! You're gonna start a howl!" Nick shushed her.

"I didn't start it!" Kairi argued. Another howl echoed in the distance, causing her to begin howling again.

Xion groaned. "Kairi!" She tried to stop her before sticking her muzzle straight up and joining in the howl.

"No...I'll resist! I won't...join…" Naminé tried to fight herself before starting to howl.

Judy, Nick, and Jack all covered their ears as Naminé joined the howling with Kairi and Xion. It wouldn't last long, however. Out of everyone's view, a sniper aimed and shot at Naminé. Taking the shot to the neck, she tumbled away, whimpering. She breathed heavily and held her neck. The wind was knocked out of her, but it also felt like a burning sensation was running from her neck and all throughout her body, including her head.

"Naminé!" Kairi cried as she knelt beside her.

"Oh my gosh!" Judy rushed over to her.

"What happened?" Jack asked.

Kairi began to hold her in her arms. "She was shot! Please! Say something, Naminé!" She pleaded as Naminé whimpered inaudibly. She shut her eyes as she could feel the burn shifting more toward her chest.

Xion's heart began racing at the sight of her friend in agony, only for her ear to pop up at the smallest sound. She looked back and out of the corner of her eye, saw someone aiming a gun toward Kairi.

"Kairi! Watch out!" Xion shouted as she tackled Kairi to the ground, taking the shot for her in the back, and screaming in pain.

"No! Xion!" Kairi scrambled up. "No! Not you too!"

Nick rested his paw against Naminé's back, some bluish purple substance rubbing off on his paw. "This is bad…"

"Oh my gosh!" Judy hopped from the ground. "Kairi! Run! Now! Get into the van!" She yelled with Jack and Nick right behind her.

"What? I can't just-"

Kairi gasped as Xion suddenly began snarling and leapt onto all fours. She backed away as the now savage wolf began to stalk her. _No...Xion..._She muttered hopelessly in her mind. Kairi looked to the side and saw Naminé was doing the same thing. Her lips curled and revealed perfectly white sharp fangs that were eager to tear through whatever she could clench her jaw around. Kairi's eyes darted between the two she-wolves, conflicted on what to do now that her closest allies had turned on her. Finally deciding to listen to Judy, Kairi turned back and began running back to the van.

As Kairi approached the van, Judy held the door open. Once she hopped in, the door was slammed, causing Naminé and Xion to collide roughly with the van. Now completely brainwashed by the serum, the girls ravenously sprinted around and jumped onto the van, scratching and biting at it, desperate to take a bite out of their once comrades.

"Judy? What do we do now?" Kairi asked, her voice full of panic.

"I...I...I don't know…" Judy said hopelessly.

Nick rested a paw on Kairi's shoulder. "We'll think of something. This isn't the first time this has happened."

"I just...I can't leave them out there…" Kairi gasped as she saw Xion and Naminé growling and snarling at each other while circling around. "Oh no…"

"What's going on?" Jack asked as he dug through a compartment in the back of the van.

"They look like...they're gonna…they're gonna attack each other!" Kairi threw the door open and ran after them.

"Kairi!" Judy called after her. "You need to get back in here!"

"I can't let them kill each other!" She yelled back at Judy.

Kairi sprinted over to Naminé and Xion, who continued to stalk each other in circles. It seemed whenever one of them got closer, the other would swipe her paw. Kairi wanted to help them, but also tried to keep her distance so that neither she, nor either of them would end up hurt. It wasn't until Xion tackled Naminé that Kairi decided she didn't have much of a choice but to get closer. She could easily hear the barking and snarling that came from each girl. Xion was definitely the stronger and more aggressive one, pinning Naminé to the ground as she attempted to snap her jaws around her neck.

Naminé smacked her paw against Xion's face, knocking her off temporarily, and giving Naminé a chance to get up and defend herself again. This time, she had the upper hand on Xion. She initiated a powerful tackle, causing both of the girls to tumble around, scraping the dirt off the ground. Xion briefly bit Naminé on her front leg, but light enough that she could pull her leg back before it was too deep. The sound of Naminé's high-pitched whimper was enough for Kairi's heart to break. She ran forward, doing the one thing her heart instinctively felt, and the only thing she _could _do.

"No! Stop!" Kairi yelled as she grabbed Xion by the back of her shoulders. Suddenly, the savage wolf whipped around and slashed her claws across Kairi's face. She whimpered in pain as she fell down to the ground. Kairi held her face before looking down at the blood on her paw that was streaming down her face. Her body froze as Xion and Naminé both crept toward her, their faces looking as if they were ready to tear her body apart. "Xion...Naminé...please, fight it…" She pleaded softly.

Kairi's body shook as Naminé and Xion became within inches of her face. Just as she thought her two best friends were going to attack her, ending her life, the sound of a gunshot fired off from behind. Kairi flinched at the popping sound, only to see what looked like a dart in Xion's side. Another shot was fired, but this time, a dart was fired into Naminé's side. The two wolves looked at the darts briefly before their movements became imbalanced. Xion instantly fell unconscious and fainted right in front of Kairi, with Naminé fainting right after losing her footing for a little bit. With both of them down, thanks to Jack, Kairi had a chance to get a closer look, her heart sinking as she saw the two passed out beasts in front of her.

"Naminé...Xion…" Kairi muttered.

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**A/N: HOLIDAYS ARE CRAZY! Welp, finally glad I got this chapter done! This will probably be the last one of 2019, so we'll see you guys in 2020!**


	36. The Corrupted

**A/N: HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE! Also...RE:MIND COMES OUT NEXT WEEK! AAAAHHHHH! Enjoy the first chapter of 2020!**

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Chapter 36: The Corrupted

**SAVANNA CENTRAL - ZOOTOPIA HOSPITAL (12:17PM)**

The mix of chaos and silence in the Zootopia hospital was enough to send unsettling chills throughout Kairi's body. She couldn't sit in the room she was admitted into, especially having no idea what was going on with Naminé and Xion. She got up from her seat and took a walk down the halls to the same ward where the previous group of mammals were contained during the first serum crisis. Kairi looked into the glass and saw Xion and Naminé each in their own separate room. They weren't exactly acting aggressive at the moment, but their minds weren't their usual selves either. She could tell they were _gone_.

"Naminé? Xion?" Kairi murmured as she pressed her paw against the glass.

Xion looked up and saw Kairi. Instead of responding happily like Kairi had hoped, she began snarling and backing away. Kairi felt so worthless during the whole situation. Even if it wasn't her fault, she felt like she had failed in keeping Xion and Naminé safe in the same way they promised to keep her safe. Realizing there wasn't much she could do, Kairi returned back to her room where the nurses had come to patch up the scar on her face and check the rest of her body for any wounds that Xion or Naminé might've caused. Thankfully, there were no more other than ones caused from previous fights with Heartless or other enemies.

Judy finally came back to check on Kairi. Nick had hurried off to the ZPD to grab Doug's personal records while Jack hung out at the hospital and waited for him. Judy peeked into the doorway and saw the young wolf sulking. She knew how close the girls were and felt bad that she couldn't do more to help with the situation. After giving Kairi a minute alone, she finally walked into the room, catching her attention.

"Hey, are you okay?" Judy asked.

Kairi shook her head. "No, I'm not okay. I won't be okay until Naminé and Xion are okay." She softly said. "I'm sorry, you guys."

"It wasn't your fault. None of us saw the one who shot them."

"I know, I just...are they gonna be okay?" She asked, shaking her head.

Judy smiled and nodded. "They _will _be okay. There is an antidote that can revert them back to their normal selves. Do you trust me?"

Kairi sighed before nodding. "I do."

"I know this may sound impossible, but try not to stress too much. We're gonna make everything right. They're gonna be okay. How's your wound?"

"The doctor said it was going to scar up." She answered, brushing her paw against the bandage. "But I'll be okay."

"Kairi, I know you wanted to save your friends, but you can't run into dangerous situations like that." Judy said, her voice full of concern. "They could've killed you."

"I know...this isn't the first time…"

"I'm only saying this because I want you to save that boy that means so much to you. I know you may not notice it, but when you think things through, they tend to go smoothly, if that makes sense."

Kairi nodded. "It does, I just wish I wasn't so careless like that."

"We all make mistakes, but the important thing is you gotta just learn from it and keep going forward." Judy encouraged. "Keep moving forward and know your self-worth. Know that you _will _be better next time, and you _will _get stronger with each mistake you learn from. And _always _remember this..."

"Remember what?"

"You never have to face these mistakes alone. There's always someone there to help you, and never be afraid to ask for help. Take it from someone who risks her life on a daily basis because of her job. Asking for help is not a sign of weakness, it's a sign of maturity and strength. Acknowledging that you are _not _invincible and you can't do everything all by yourself can mean the difference between life and death sometimes." Judy explained. She rested a paw on Kairi's shoulder. "You have a big heart, and it sounds like you have a lot of people who care about you, and they're gonna have your back."

"Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Judy." Kairi thanked her. "Hey, can you do me a favor?"

"Of course."

"Talk to Nick. He really cares about you, and...I think he's been feeling...left out since Jack arrived."

Judy rubbed her paws together. "Left out?"

"Yeah...he's afraid he's gonna be replaced by Jack." Kairi said sincerely.

"But I would never...why would he think that?"

Kairi laughed softly. "Can't you see, Judy? He likes you. He _really _likes you."

"Oh...I…" Judy stumbled her words as her cheeks began to glow pink. "I...never knew that…" she sighed and held her head low as her ears drooped down. "I...I feel awful."

"Don't feel awful. You didn't know and...male rivalries happen. Trust me, I know about them." She laughed. "Sora and Riku were always competing for my attention back then."

"What made you choose?"

"Well...it wasn't a matter of choosing between them." Kairi explained. "I just cared about them in different ways, that's all. You don't have to choose between Jack and Nick. You can have them both in your life for different reasons." She watched as Judy stared at her phone, looking at photos of her and Nick from the past week. "But, if you want my 'expert' opinion, I think you and Nick would make a very sweet couple."

Judy's ears perked up as a smile formed on her face. "Really? You don't think it'd be weird seeing a bunny and a fox together?"

"To me, love is love. It doesn't matter the genders, the species, romantic or familial. If you heart shares a special connection with another, then go for it."

"Yeah...you know what? You're right, Kairi." Judy stood up from the bed. "Nick is the greatest thing that has happened to me since getting my job as a police officer, and I'll be darned if anyone tries to ruin that for me."

"Yes! Go Judy! Go tell him how you feel!" Kairi encouraged her.

"I will!"

Judy hopped up and decided to brush herself off before licking her paw and rubbing it behind her ears. She wasn't sure if Nick was back from ZPD or not, but chose to take this moment to make herself (somewhat) as presentable as a cop on duty could be. She showed herself off to Kairi, asking for her opinion of how she looked. Kairi, being the supportive friend she was, gave Judy an instant pass. Now with a boost of confidence, Judy stepped out of the room. She didn't see Nick at all in the hall like she was hoping to. Instead, she headed down the hall of the waiting area and ran into Jack. He wasn't exactly the guy she was looking for at the moment.

"Judy? Hey, where are you going?" Jack asked.

"I need to talk to Nick, is he back from ZPD with Doug's personal records?" She answered firmly.

"I'm...not sure. But, while we're waiting for him, can we talk in here?" He asked as he led her into a seating area with vending machines.

"Okay Jack, what'd you want to talk about?"

Jack sighed. "Judy, I know it's been years...and I know we went our own separate ways after high school, but…" He rested his hand on top of hers. "I just to remind you that...I was so in love with you back then."

Judy nodded. "I know, I remember, Jack. You were my first love too. I remembered thinking we'd be together forever." She said with a smile, which faded into a more serious expression. "But…we also chose to go our separate ways to focus on our careers."

"We did, and if I could be honest, I regretted not fighting to keep our relationship." Jack gently squeezed her paw. "But...I see this case as...sort of a second chance for us. Now that we're older, more established, and we know what we want, we can finally be together and make this work. What do you say?" He asked.

Judy looked down at their interlocked paws. Jack wasn't wrong, this _was _their second chance to return to what they once were. If she could be honest, there were days following there breakup where she wished they could have another chance at their relationship. She started to think back on all of the fond memories the two of them had during high school. Judy remembered the first time Jack asked her out, their first date at the Bunnyburrow State Fair, their sunset hikes, and when they went to the prom. She couldn't deny great memories, but there was something big that kept holding her back.

The past year started to flash before Judy. She remembered feeling at her lowest points, and Nick was always the one to help her get through them. She looked back at all the times he brought out the best in her and she brought out the best in him. Judy was no longer a teenager anymore. She couldn't just be in a relationship with someone because she thinks they're fun, attractive, or because they had something in the past. This was her life now, and needed someone who could support her through her life. Her ears drooped low, letting out a heavy sigh, and coming to terms with herself.

"Jack, you're a really sweet guy, and I appreciate you wanting to reignite a spark we once had years ago." Judy softly said as she took her paw away from him. "But the truth is...I don't think I see a future with us. I think...my heart belongs….to someone else." She looked out and saw Nick coming back. "No, I don't _think_, I _know _my heart belongs to someone else." She said standing up.

Jack looked back, noticing that Judy was looking at Nick. "Oh...I see...I guess you have a thing for foxes now, huh?" He softly jested.

"No, I don't have a thing for foxes." Judy said with a stern tone. "I just have a special connection with someone precious to me."

"But Judy, think about it, a fox and a bunny? It's unnatural." He chuckled.

"Love is _never _unnatural." She said as her paw curled into a fist. "I think this talk is done. Nick is back, we have a case to solve."

Judy turned and left a disappointed Jack sitting at the table with his own ears drooping. He couldn't, not in a million years, see what Judy saw in Nick, especially with him being a fox. Then again, she was always known among her family, friends, and him for going against the norm, doing whatever she wanted regardless of what others said. Jack was the same way. He hated sticking to the status quo and 'settling' for less because that was what others expected him, but there was a limit in his mind. He believed there was a point where once something becomes unnatural, that's when you need to change your ways. This was the point Jack felt Judy was heading too if she were to pursue a relationship with a fox, unnatural.

Nick had returned to the hospital with a large folder that was loaded with various papers. He took a peek into the break area and noticed Judy and Jack talking. Not wanting to feel like he was 'intruding' on their alone time, he decided to just go to Kairi's room to check up on her. He knew Jack already could give two shallots about him. In his mind, it was only a matter of time until Judy was wrapped around his finger again and she would only see him as her roommate and work partner. That's how everyone they knew would want it anyway, right? A fox and a bunny being anything more than friends would be really taboo.

"Hey, you doing okay?" Nick asked Kairi as she stepped out of her room.

"Yeah, just a scratch." She said with a shrug. "Are you doing okay?"

"Yeah." He murmured softly. "Everything's...perfect."

"Nick!" Judy emerged from down the hall. "Hey, can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Uh...sure...but, I got Doug's permanent records if you wanna take a look at them."

Judy hopped and grabbed the records. "Yeah, we can talk later. Let's take a look at these…"

Wanting to keep everything confidential, Judy had everyone step back into Kairi's room and locked the rook behind them. She separated the different documents and organized them into categories. It was a lot from bills to bank statements to traffic citations. It was as if Doug was right there in front of them and the only thing they needed was his body to go along with it. Nick, Jack, and Judy each took some documents in hand and studied them. Kairi took a look at all the different categories and shook her head.

"Wow…this is a lot...so overwhelming." Kairi heaved a sigh.

Jack folded his arms and nodded. "That's detective work for ya."

"So...he last used his credit card here…" Judy noted as she pointed to the name of a housewares store. "That was today…"

"And this was the last vehicle he was driving in." Jack added as he flipped through his driving record. "Unless he got a new car and didn't register it, which I wouldn't put it past him."

"Hmm...you know...since we have the license plate and the type of car he was driving...I'd say it's time we took a trip to our favorite little security cam office." Nick suggested to Judy.

Judy smiled and nodded. "And who said an evil genius can't be a cop?"

Kairi curled her paw to a first and looked toward the door. "Well, let's go check it out then!" She took one last look at Naminé and Xion in each of their rooms, resting a paw over her chest. "I'll fix this guys, I promise. You'll be okay."

**SAVANNA CENTRAL - ZPD (2:40pm)**

After hopping into Jack's van, everyone rushed down to the station. Despite Nick having just been here, and him practically kicking himself for not thinking of this sooner, the security cams were the best way to try and track down Doug. Judy charged into the station and got the keys to camera room from Clawhauser. If there was one fellow officer that Judy knew she could always count on for a favor, it was him. After he gave her the kids, she instantly unlocked the room and booted up the computer. It was a pretty advanced system and took a while to boot it up considering it had access to data all across Zootopia, but once it was booted, it was able to give exactly what they were looking for. A screen of an aerial map of Zootopia popped onto the screen.

"Good thing Bogo gave us access to this bad boy." Nick said with a smirk.

Kairi mused at the computer screen as she saw thousands of icons pop up all over the map. "So...this is access to all security cams around the city?"

"Yep! There's also traffic cams, but for now...we want to find...wait!" Judy gasped. "That's it! The traffic cams! We can find out who shot Naminé and Xion! That's gonna be our guy!" She scrolled through the map until she found the spot where they had broken down initially and where the shooting occurred. "Oh! There it is! There's the three of us arguing there...and there's Kairi starting a howl…."

"Sorry again." She laughed sheepishly.

"And now…"

On the screen, the camera had a solid angle of the guilty party that shot Xion and Naminé . From the shadows, Doug emerged in dark clothing, tightly holding a sniper. He had hid behind a tree initially, but crept around as soon Kairi and the girls had started howling. After careful aim, Doug fired the sniper and hit Naminé square in the opportune spot. Kairi gasped, seeing it happen again, and wishing she could've seen Doug. Her heart sank as she watched herself fall to the ground and try to help Naminé off the ground, only for Doug to aim at her, and nearly fire at her back. Xion instead shielded her and took the shot, causing her to go savage.

"Bellwether was right…" Judy murmured.

Nick rolled his eyes. "Well, either way, she was going to prison, so lying wouldn't have helped her case any further."

"Wait, but there was still that other accomplice." Kairi noted. "The one who shot the mayor. We still have to track them down too."

"We don't have an alias for them." Jack tapped his foot. "In the meantime, let's at least apprehend Doug and then we can focus on the other guy."

"Okay, let's…switch to…" Judy browsed the computer screen, changing up the different security cams. "Here we go." She clicked on the security cam that took her to the parking lot of the housewares store that Doug had visited. "And there's our guy." Judy pointed to the screen as Doug came out of the store and walked over to his car.

"Pfft, got a poor taste in cars…" Nick scoffed.

Jack rolled his eyes. "In his defense, when conducting an evil scheme, the last thing that's on your mind is what type of car you're driving." He noted as Doug got into the car and drove out of the parking lot, making his way onto a busy highway.

"So, now what?" Kairi asked, shrugging her shoulders.

Nick began clicking through the different security cams. "Well, based on the highway he turned onto, we can click on the security cams in the order they are hooked up on said highway, and keep track of where he was going after this occurred."

"Wow, that's insane!" Kairi gasped as she watched Doug drive through the security videos, Nick keeping up with him.

"This was how we found the location of the missing mammals last time." Judy noted. "Now, I'm almost 100% sure that Doug has a new hideout because the last one was a train that we...kinda ruined."

Kairi studied the monitors. "Hmm…It looks like he's going on that same major highway we were on earlier. And he looks like he's in a hurry too."

Throughout the security footage, Doug looked to be following the highway until he merged into a less travelled section of it, taking him to the Rainforest District. There wasn't much to it other than foliage, cliffs, light poles, and telephone lines. Nothing was screaming suspicion until Judy clicked upon a security cam that happened to be located right by a large empty building. Doug drove off the highway and parked to the side of the building. Nick and Judy studied the footage and watched as Doug pulled out the large briefcase from his car and carried it into the building. They paused the footage and took down the coordinates on the map of Doug's hiding spot.

"Okay! It looks like he's using that old abandoned warehouse!" Judy pointed out. "We have his location!"

Jack nodded. "Great. Let's move out and get him!"

**RAINFOREST DISTRICT - OLD ABANDONED WAREHOUSE (4:15PM)**

Deep into the depths of the Rainforest District, Jack drove the van, trying to keep the pounding rain off the windows. Kairi sighed as she realized that being in the rain was going to be more uncomfortable than she was used to considering she had fur all over her body instead of just her red hair. There was also a creepy factor with the rainforest environment. Despite it being late afternoon, the dark clouds always made it feel dark. If anything, it reminded Kairi of how the weather on Destiny Islands had been lately: dark, gloomy, and wet. It was an unwelcome change compared to how it was always warm and sunny when she, Sora, and Riku spent their lazy afternoons on the beach.

Upon arriving to the location of the warehouse, Jack opted to park the van alongside some trees, hoping to shield themselves in the case that Doug came outside. The last thing they needed was to be spotted, especially when they were this close to finally apprehending him. Jack led, making sure everything was all clear before signaling Nick, Judy, and Kairi to follow him around to the back door of the building, hoping to catch Doug in a surprise attack. It was definitely a warehouse that was abandoned for many years judging by the various rust and mold that encrusted the corners.

"Locked…" Nick growled after playing with the back door's handle.

"I got ya covered!" Kairi said as she held up her Keyblade and unlocked the door.

"We've gotta get ourselves one of those." He said with a smirk.

Judy pulled out her flashlight and stepped inside first, stepping as quietly as she possibly could. Doug was shady, considering his previous actions, and she couldn't afford to put herself or any of her friends in danger. There was no sense of light in the warehouse. Nick wondered how Doug could even use a warehouse like this when there wasn't even electricity powering it. Then again, he never saw Bellwether being the one responsible for the savage predators last time. Kairi kept on her toes, remembering that even if Doug was their target, Aros, Kaguya, or even the Heartless could pop up at any time. After all, there was no way it could be _this _quiet.

"It's quiet in here…" Kairi muttered softly. "Too quiet…"

"Really?" Nick rolled his eyes. "You have to use a cliche movie quote?"

Judy sighed and hushed both of them. "Shh! Both of you cut it out!"

Kairi gasped as she saw Neoshadow Heartless emerge behind Judy. She summoned her Keyblade and shot a Fire spell at them, knocking them out of the way. While it was enough to give her an advantage, more Neoshadows eventually emerged from the ground and surrounded everybody. Kairi knew she was capable of taking these things out, but that still didn't make it any less annoying that they got in her way.

"Of course I would jinx us!" Kairi groaned.

"Looks like we must be close to finding our guy!" Judy said as she got ready to fight.

"Don't count your carrots before they sprout." Jack said as he whipped out a pistol.

After Jack charged forward, drop kicking one of the Neoshadows to the ground, Kairi followed suit, as did Nick and Judy. She didn't have time for this. She was eager to take out this Heartless so they could arrest Doug and move on to trying to help Xion and Naminé recover from their savage state. Kairi charged heavily, Keyblade first and knocked a Neoshadow against the wall before launching herself into the air and slamming the same Heartless down to the ground and wiping it out. She looked to Nick and Judy, who were doing the best they could to fight off the Heartless with their various combat moves and weapons. She shot a Watera spell on Neoshadows that attempted to lunge at Nick. The water shook the Heartless before propelling it up to the ceiling.

"Thunder!" Kairi yelled as she took advantage of the wet floor.

Sparks flew out of Destiny's Embrace and toward the Neoshadows, trapping them in an electrical current and dealing immense damage. Little did Kairi realize that the water from her spell had reached toward the rest of her party, causing the electricity to hit Judy, Nick, and Jack. All three of them collapsed, feeling paralyzed from the high voltage. Kairi looked over and laughed sheepishly. Before she had a chance to hurry over and cast Cure on all three of them, another swarm of Heartless, this time a group of of Powerwilds materialized and surrounded her. Kairi sighed, studying her enemies. As one lunged toward her, she guarded with her weapon before countering. While the one Heartless in particular was damaged, another one slid into her, tripping her and sending her down to the ground.

Kairi growled as she shot a Pearl at the Powerwild that attacked her. She took a deep breath, realizing that she was outnumbered, knowing well that this would be the perfect time to have Xion and Naminé aid her. Instead, Kairi looked down at her watch, and remembered that she had another option to get her out of a bind. She tapped on the watch and pulled up the lightning bolt icon.

"Bolt! Give me strength!" Kairi called out as she tapped on the icon.

A wave of lightning spun around in front of Kairi, and from the wave, Bolt emerged. He barked and ran up to her, giving her a sloppy kiss on the face. She was happy to see him again, but now wasn't the time for games. Kairi hopped back onto her feet and Bolt crouched into a defensive stance, ready to assist. While she took on half of the Heartless, he took on the other half. Between his heat vision, his laser vision, his various parkour moves, and his super bark, Bolt proved to be a strong fighter once again, just like in Twilight Town. He managed to zoom around Kairi, creating a dust cloud thanks to the dirt that had formed on the floor that hadn't been mopped in forever.

With the Powerwilds' vision being obstructed by dust, Kairi had the opportune moment to perform a sneaky Pearl spell. She shot her light orbs and knocked them back, allowing Bolt to slam right on top of them, sending them down to the ground. As that group of Heartless dematerialized, the other group began to corner Kairi and Bolt, not giving them much of a way to escape. She looked down at Bolt, who stepped forward and spaced out his legs and paws. A confident smile formed on her face as she knew what he was preparing for, and she called out the command for Bolt to use his super bark. He ducked his head down before letting out a powerful bark and sending a sonic boom toward the Powerwilds, wiping them out completely.

"Thanks for your help, Bolt!" Kairi shook his paw.

After Bolt disappeared, Kairi finally cast Cure, allowing Judy, Nick, and Jack to get back up onto their feet. Once they caught their breath, Jack immediately silenced everyone. There were footsteps echoing in the halls. Shortly following the echoing steps, a flashlight shone on all four of them. The flashlight belonged to none other than Doug, the ram they had been chasing after all day. Deciding he wasn't going to just surrender and wanting to challenge authority, he pulled out his sniper and aimed it at Judy. Kairi wasn't afraid of him and had her Keyblade ready to unleash all she had on him for what he did to Naminé and Xion.

"You are under arrest!" Judy yelled.

Doug attempted to shoot her, only for Kairi to block the bullet with a Reflect spell. "It's gonna take more than a cute little bunny to send me back to the slammer!" He taunted them before taking off running.

"He's getting away! Everyone split up! We can cut him off!" Jack suggested.

Taking Jack's suggestion, everyone split and took a different hall, hoping to corner down Doug. The plan seemed to work, considering that each time Doug was cornered, he'd run in a different direction and end up confronted by someone else. However, he had an advantage thanks to him having the ability to snipe. Judy and Nick both had to be careful to dodge any bullets that were fired at them. However, they each had their sneaky ways around. Judy was just an excellent jumper and her small size made it nearly impossible to hit her. Nick was a bigger target, but he was a shady fox for many years and managed to master the art of sneaking around.

Lucky for them, when Doug was confronted by Kairi, he underestimated her based on the sheer fact that she was 'a kid'. He began firing his weapon at her. Thanks to Kairi becoming quite agile, she was able to wall kick her away around Doug's bullets. He growled and turned around, trying to escape again. Not allowing him to get away so easily, Kairi picked up her sprinting pace and slid toward him, tripping the ram sending him collapsing onto the ground. Before he had a chance to reach for his weapon, Kairi held out her hand toward him and cast a Stop spell, freezing him in place.

"Got him!" Kairi called out, giving her Keyblade a victory twirl. "Never mess with a girl's Stop spell!"

Nick came up behind and locked handcuffs around Doug's hooves. "Doug, you are under arrest for possession of illegal substance, breaking out of prison, and...oh, I could list everything, but that'll take way too long."

"You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in court." Judy cited him his rights.

"Come on, let's book him somewhere until we can get the cops here." Jack suggested.

Judy gave an approving nod. She gripped one of Doug's arms tightly while Jack had a hard clench around the other. The two of them marched down the hall and to an empty room, where they'd keep Doug until their backup team showed up.

Once Jack opened the door, he suddenly released his grip on Doug before shoving Nick into the room. Kairi didn't react fast enough to fight off Doug before he shoved her into the room following Jack releasing the cuffs off his hooves. Upon watching her friends get tossed around like rag dolls, Judy hurried into the room and tried to help them up.

"Great job, Doug!" Jack complimented him.

"Don't thank me, you led them right here!" Doug chuckled.

"Wait, what? Jack! What are you doing?" Judy asked in distress.

"No need to thank me, Judy. I'm just simply keeping a promise we made all those years ago, 'to make the world a better place'."

"And just how do you plan to do that?" Kairi asked.

"Judy, I want to think back to what life was like before you became a police officer. You remember all of those remarks we got from others. 'Dumb bunny', does that not sound familiar?" Jack asked in a hostile manner. "Wanting to make the world a better place and everyone laughing at you for it, does that not sound familiar?"

"What's your point, Jack?" Judy asked, her face scrunching up.

"I was like you once, Judy, wishing to become a police officer to make the world a better place." Jack said as he looked out the window. "I worked my butt off, studying the law, and getting physically strong enough to withstand my toughest opponents. But that wasn't enough, they still denied me any opportunity." He lowered his head, his paw curling into a fist. "I came from nothing, was treated like nothing, and still had nothing. So, I moved out of town, and with a couple 'o friends in the same position, we became secret agents, started a business, and made names for ourselves in the town. But, there was still one elephant in the room, the predators...they all saw me as just a dumb bunny no matter what I did. I was determined to get revenge on predators, but I had to do it in a certain way that I could stay hidden. So, thanks to my knowledge on farmlife from Bunnyburrow, I knew about the night howlers, I smuggled a bunch, created a serum out of them, and created what would be the ultimate weapon against all predators."

"Wait...so...it was _you_." Nick muttered. "This whole time..._you _were the one giving out the serum, even to Bellwether!"

"Some things never change, eh, clever fox?"

"Where will this get you, Jack?" Judy asked. "Bellwether got nowhere."

"Bellwether was a clueless mess. I was surprised she didn't rat me out."

"Did she lie about being your college professor too?" Kairi asked, growling.

Jack chuckled. "I was in town, scoping how I was going to put my plan into motion, and I just happened to run into Bellwether, frustrated as always. I asked her how she would feel in a world where prey had power over predators. We had an agreement. Once Zootopia's predator problem was taken care of, she'd step into the role of mayor, and bring me on as her assistant. Prey would finally get the respect they deserve."

"Maybe prey often get looked down upon, but prey are just as guilty for looking down upon predators! Predators and prey need each other. They balance each other, just like everything else in the world." Kairi said in a calm tone. "Day and night, tall and short, light and darkness. The world is the way it is because everything has to have a balance."

"Kairi's right. You can't just get rid of predators!" Judy argued.

"Watch me. With Bellwether in prison, I can finally make the world a better place, starting with our mayor."

Nick gasped. "Leave him out of this!" He yelled.

"You could've joined me, Judy. We could've had Zootopia to ourselves. It's not too late." Jack said while holding out his paw.

"I'd rather be killed by a savage predator than join you for _anything_." Judy growled.

"Fine, your funeral." Jack said with a shrug.

With a sinister smirk on his face, Jack backed out of the room, locking the door, and sticking the keys into his back pocket. Doug shared a nod of approval with him as well as a fist bump before they exited the warehouse, leaving Kairi, Nick, and Judy trapped. Kairi would've used her Keyblade to unlock the door and get them out, but there was no keyhole on their side of the door. The only way they could escape is if they unlocked it from the outside. Despite Jack and Doug already being out of sight, Kairi was stubborn about breaking through the door. She began aggressively jiggling the door handle before banging on it with her fists.

"Let us out! Let us out you creep!" Kairi yelled.

"Kairi, we're stuck here, you're only wasting your energy." Nick sighed in defeat.

"How could you give up like this? He's gonna hurt innocent animals and who knows what he's gonna do to Xion and Naminé !"

"What else can we do?" Judy asked, sitting against the wall.

Kairi shook her head. This wasn't over. She had been in worse situations before and knew there was a way to get them out. She just needed a minute to think under pressure. She thought back to how Sora would get out of a situation like this. Normally, he'd get lucky and his friends, whether it was Donald, Goofy, or new friends from that particular world, would get him out. Unfortunately for Kairi, her options were low in terms of friends helping her escape considering Nick and Judy were both trapped with her, Jack was a traitor, and Xion and Naminé were both victims of the serum. A thought hit her like a brick to the face when she realized there was _one more _friend with them, and he just happened to have teleportation abilities.

"Wait! I got an idea!" Kairi gasped. "Chirithy! Come out, buddy! We need you!"

Chirithy appeared in front of everyone, stretching his arms out. "You rang?"

"We're trapped here and need your help!"

"Oh sure, you force me to stay hidden and _now _you want my help?" He rolled his eyes and folded his arms.

Kairi groaned and shook her head. "Do this for me and I'll let you have first dibs on the cappuccino maker from now on!"

Chirithy thought for a moment before sighing in defeat. "You know how to strike a good bargain, Kairi. Okay, what do you need?"

"That guy that trapped us in here, Jack Savage, he has the warehouse keys. You're the only one who can get out of here. I need you to go track him down and get the keys!"

"How am I supposed to track him down?"

"I don't know! You're a dream eater, you'll figure it out! Now go! We don't have much time!" Kairi frantically asked.

"Fine! Fine!" Chirithy disappeared and reappeared on the other side. "I'll be back with the keys!"

Sending a small dream eater into a large city by himself was like throwing a small fish into the ocean by himself. Everything was so much bigger than Chirithy. The only creatures that weren't were the rodents, and even so, most of them took up residence in Rodentia. The buildings towered over, the hustle and bustle was noisy, and the traffic was getting bad downtown. _Something big is happening tonight, but what? _Chirithy thought as he attempted to navigate through the crowds. It wasn't doing him any good if he was narrowly trying to avoid getting stepped on by larger mammals.

"This city is huge...and I'm such a tiny little thing." Chirithy muttered as he hopped through the streets, barely avoiding a giraffe's hoof. "How am I supposed to find this guy?"

A familiar smell filled the air. Chirithy definitely knew this smell. It was the most wonderful smell. It was a smell that hooked him and reeled him like a catfish on a fishing pole. Chirithy followed the smell, sending him off course briefly, and him feeling like he was floating on a cloud. He found himself at a coffee shop, but it wasn't just any coffee shop. It was a shop that was run by _elephants_, the largest mammals in Zootopia. Chirithy peeked into the window and saw what could only be the largest cup of coffee he had ever seen. It was more than double his size. Chirithy's mouth moistened as the thought of tasting that coffee tempted him harder than a child with a cookie jar. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

"Coffee…?" Chirithy muttered.

With the smell of coffee tickling his senses, Chirithy found him falling into a daydream daze. He could've sworn the evening sky became a bright and beautiful world made of clouds. Everything else disappeared as Chirithy found him and the enormous sized coffee all alone in their fantasy. The cup was even starting to move, curling it's...body(?) as if it were being bashful. Chirithy's eyes transformed into hearts as he bounced along the clouds, making his way to the coffee. The coffee even began bouncing towards Chirithy. It was a fantasy that any lover of coffee would've killed to be sucked into. Chirithy wrapped his entire body around the coffee cup and sighed as he began to nuzzle it.

"Coffee…" He muttered.

"Excuse me?" A voice snapped Chirithy out of his daydream. He looked up and saw a husky elephant looking down on him. "We don't serve _rodents_!" He picked up Chirithy with his trunk and carried him toward the entrance of the cafe. "Go get your coffee somewhere else!" He yelled as he threw Chirithy out.

The angry dream eater got up and brushed himself off. "Excuse me _sir! _I happen to be of the feline species! I'm not a dirty rat!" He yelled, despite the elephant already disappearing behind the doors. Chirithy sighed as he held out his arm toward the coffee cups being passed around. "I'll come back, my love."

A big white van that sped right past Chirithy snapped him out of his daydream gaze. He recognized the van and decided to follow it. Taking advantage of being a dream eater, Chirithy vanished from the coffee shop and reappeared on top of the van, taking a little joy ride to a sketchier side of town. He watched from up top as Jack got out of the driver's seat and meandered down into a dark alley. Chirithy huffed at how suspicious he looked, leaning up against the wall, lighting up a cigarette, and not having a care in the world. He hopped down and got closer, hoping to scope out the warehouse keys.

Chirithy's plan was interrupted by dark portals forming in the alley. He gasped and ducked around the corner, deciding it was safer to watch from a distance and get the dirt on what was going on with Jack. It was apparent there was much more to him than even Judy knew. His eyes widened as two familiar armored figures emerged from the dark portals and moved closer toward Jack.

"Hey...is that…?" Chirithy whispered. "That's Aros...and Kaguya. What are they doing here?"

Realizing that the situation could be a lot worse than anyone imagined, Chirithy kept his distance, but listened carefully in on the conversation between the three shady figures.

"About time you showed up." Aros remarked.

"It's a big city. Sorry I can't just travel with dark tunnels like you two." Jack folded his arms. "Look, do you have it or not?"

"Do you have the girls?" Kaguya asked.

"Two of them. The redhead is stubborn and a tough nut to crack."

"I figured as much." Aros smirked. "That's okay, two out of three is perfect, just what we need." He nudged Kaguya forward. "Go ahead and give him what we promised."

Kaguya nodded as she opened up the briefcase to reveal a large number of dark purple bullets, all carefully handled. "Each one of these has been infused with dark matter. If you want the full effect, go for the heart. Not only will these predators go savage, but their heart will be consumed by darkness, turning them into Heartless."

Jack smiled and nodded. "Just like you said at the club."

"Speaking of which, how'd you keep those girls dangling for so long?"

"You just gotta know how the female mind works. Make her feel good, important, all that other junk." Jack shrugged his shoulders. "Their friends automatically latch onto that too. Once you've got one, you've got the others. The fox was problematic, but we got that taken care of. Everything I wanted to happen is falling into place, got the mayor's wife, got Bellwether framed, got two out of three girls feral, and the rest is self-explanatory. All that's left now, is to get rid of the mayor, become a hero of Zootopia, and start a new revolution where prey rules over predators, and predators get just what they deserve." He gritted his teeth.

Chirithy gasped as he listened to the plan. "No…"

"Quite a plan." Aros chuckled. "You know, we could use another evil genius like you sometime."

"Maybe, but for now, this is where we part ways." Jack said as he took the briefcase and began to walk out of the alley. "You remember your cue, right?"

"Yes, we'll be there, at the ampitheater" Kaguya assured him.

Chirithy gasped as Aros and Kaguya retreated back into their dark tunnels. He was tempted to follow them, but knew deep down that he was no match without Kairi. Besides, he still had to get the keys. As Jack walked past him, he made careful strides behind, eyeing the keys that stuck out of Jack's back pocket. _What a loser..._Chirithy muttered in his mind, noting how foolish it was to just have keys sticking out like that. He hopped along, keeping his distance. Jack couldn't help but get the internal feeling that he was being followed. He checked both sides, but thanks to Chirithy being a dream eater, he was able to vanish without a trace in a matter of seconds.

Jack finally whipped around, arching an eyebrow. There was nothing behind him, so why did he feel like there was someone following him? He walked back a few feet, inspecting the area. There was still nobody around, but unbeknownst to Jack, Chirithy had shrunk himself down to pocket size and was now actually in his back pocket, gripping the keys. He was just about ready to vanish out of sight completely, only for Jack to reach his paw back toward the pocket he was hiding in. Jack curled his fingers back and forth and mumbled like he was trying to scratch something, but ended up scratching Chirithy. Chirithy realized what he was trying to do and crinkled his face as he used his paw to scratch Jack's but. _This is so gross..._He sighed. Once Jack retreated his paw back, Chirithy finally wasted no more time and vanished with the keys in hand.

Back at the warehouse, Kairi, Nick, and Judy all waited in anticipation for Chirithy to return with the keys. Everyone seemed to feel helpless about the situation. Kairi knew she was feeling lost and unsure of what to do, but she was also aware that Judy felt the worst out of all three of them. Everything was at stake, Judy's job, innocent lives, the city, how could Judy feel anything but stressed and anxious? Kairi and Nick sat by each other, confiding in each other, but Judy sat alone in the corner, not wanting to involve her friends in anymore of her problems.

"Judy, you okay?" Kairi asked.

Judy shook her head. "No, I'm not. How could I not see that he was a two-faced liar?" She groaned and pounded her fists against the ground. "I was stupid to let my heart get in the way of my mind."

"Hey, you may have made a mistake, but you're not stupid." Nick shook his head.

"Besides, letting your heart take control isn't necessarily a bad thing. Sure, it can be foolish at times, but so can our minds." Kairi said as she leaned against the wall. "Our minds have a way of playing tricks on us too, making us feel like the world is better off without us, you know?"

"Or how you're nothing but a sly fox that can't be trusted."

Judy sighed, staring down at the ground. "Or how you're nothing but a dumb bunny."

"You see? The heart and the mind, they balance each other out. When your mind is playing tricks on you, your heart will be there to guide you out, and sometimes your heart may be weak, but that's when turn on your thinking cap!" Kairi encouraged. "Right now, your mind is telling you to beat yourself up over this, even though you just told me earlier that everyone makes mistakes and that you never have to face them alone."

"Well this particular mistake is going to cost many lives!" Judy raised her voice.

Nick shook his head and moved, sitting close to Judy. "Nu-uh, that is quitter talk. Judy, you beating yourself up over your mistakes has got to stop. You're very sensitive and it's obvious you're a perfectionist, but now, you gotta start taking your own advice. Yeah, you made a mistake, but you know about my past. You know how many mistakes I've made in even the most recent years. Even if you made the mistake of trusting Jack, he has not won. He played you-all of us-and now it's payback time, and it's time to send that bunny back into his burrow hole."

Kairi nodded in amusement. "Wow, that's...pretty inspiring, Nick."

"Thanks." He chuckled.

"I just don't know if I can trust in myself anymore. How can I be sure I won't let my emotions cloud my judgement?" Judy asked as her ears drooped down.

"Listen…" Nick sighed. "It was a situation where Jack took advantage of the fact that you two had a thing for each other before, and tried to charm his way into getting you on his side. And...it can happen to any girl, trust me, I've done it before when I was younger. But the point I'm trying to make is that you're not alone in this, and we _will _get this fixed. As soon as Kairi's little friend gets back with the keys."

Judy folded her arms and leaned back. "I guess I was...kinda blinded by past love, you know?"

"You were, but again, it can happen to anyone. And looking at the big picture, there are better guys out there for you. There was a reason you two didn't work out in the past, which only means that there _is _someone out there who is much better. Because…" Nick sighed as he rested his paw on top of Judy's. "You deserve much better."

"You really think so?"

"He's out there somewhere." Nick said tenderly. "Or...he could also...be in here."

Kairi smiled widely and twiddled her paws. "That's right...spill your guts…" She whispered to herself.

"You...you think so?" Judy asked, a weak smile forming on her face.

"Well...I mean…" Nick stammered as she scratched the back of his head. "You know, I happen to think you're a...very good cop...and you're...um...uh…" He started chuckling. "Sorry, I'm not exactly the best at this kind of stuff." He sighed as he cradled Judy's paw in his. "Truth is...I think you're probably one of the best things that's happened to me, in my whole life, and...the fact that you're really pretty helps too."

"You mean...the fact that I'm a bunny and you're a fox doesn't bother you?"

"Someone once told me that...love is love." Nick said while sending a wink to Kairi, who gave him an approving nod.

"You're right, Nick." Judy smiled and squeezed his paw. "And...I'm sorry…I'm sorry if I hurt you."

"Eh...how about after all of this is done, you go on a date with me, and we can call it even?"

"Okay, deal."

Kairi sighed, her heart swelling at the tender moment between Nick and Judy. Even if nobody else saw the connection between them because they were blinded by the difference in species, she could see and feel it in her heart. She reached or her lucky charm and clutched it close to her.

_**A special connection that's never broken. Life is too short to not share your heart with that person, because even in the deepest darkness, they'll always be there to light your way back. **_

"Uh...sorry to interrupt your little tender moment, but I have something you guys might want." Chirithy said as he reappeared in the room and held out the keys.

"Chirithy! You did it!" Kairi beamed.

"See? Looks like you need me more than you think, huh?"

"Yes…" Kairi rolled her eyes. "Can you please let us out now?"

Chirithy did as he was asked and attempted to unlock the door from the outside. It turned out there were way more keys on this keyring than there should've been. He tried one key, and it didn't work. He tried another key, and it still didn't work. Kairi groaned as she watched Chirithy's frustration with the keys. Of all the times she wished she could've used her Keyblade, this would've been it. Finally, Chirithy found the key that had a piece of red tape on it. For curiosity's sake, he tried it out, and good thing, his curiosity was a big help. The door unlocked, freeing Nick, Judy, and Kairi from their hostage. All three of them hurried out of the warehouse with Chirithy riding on Kairi's shoulder.

"You'd better hurry! The mayor's in danger!" Chirithy warned in a distressed tone.

Nick hummed. "I knew Jack would try something."

"It's not just Jack! Aros and Kaguya too!"

"I knew it! I knew they had something to do with this!" Kairi growled. "Were they behind this the whole time?"

"I don't know...but all I know is that they have changed the serum!"

Judy furrowed her eyebrows. "How so?"

Chirithy shook his head. "Aros infused dark matter into the serum. Now, the predators are not just going to go savage, they're gonna turn into Heartless too! And I think Naminé and Xion might be in danger too! Aros was asking about them too!"

"No…" Kairi choked out. "We have to hurry back to the hospital!"

"Too bad we don't have a car…" Nick murmured.

Kairi immediately got on her phone, deciding to try and call for a cab. The only problem with that was that cab fare was ridiculously expensive. Judy even noted that it was more expensive than it usually was for some reason. Nick suggested they take a bus, but the bus would've been too slow. Everyone looked around and noticed there was an open cover sports car parked on the side of the road. Why was there a sports car? Nobody knew. All they knew was that it had to be fate for a car to suddenly appear out of the blue. Judy's eyes laid on the car, as did Nick's, and then Kairi's. All three of them seemed to have the same horrible idea, but nobody wanted to speak up.

"How about we borrow that car?" Judy suggested.

"Borrow without asking? You mean _steal _the car?" Kairi asked, her eyes widened.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures! Come on!"

Nick led the girls to the car. "I can hotwire the car so we can start it without the ignition."

"This is the weirdest crime case I've ever taken part of." Kairi shook her head.

Nick hopped into the driver's seat and Kairi in the passenger seat. Judy awaited in the back seat while she and Kairi watched Nick (somehow) get the steering column open. There was a lot of wires, too much for Kairi's 11th grade mind to comprehend. Nick fiddled with the wires and battery packs. It took a bit of experimenting, but Nick finally managed to work it. Kairi gasped as the car made a noise, indicating that it had started up and they were ready to start driving.

"It's started up!" Nick gave them a thumbs up. "Too bad I don't know how to drive a stick."

Judy heaved a sigh. "Great...I can't drive a stick shift…" She and Nick both looked at Kairi, who took a minute to realize their implications.

"Oh! Yeah, I can drive a stick!" Kairi beamed. "You're asking me to drive?"

"You have ten seconds to decide." Judy said as Nick got out of the driver's seat.

"YES!"

Kairi scooted over to the driver's seat, her blood pumping. It had been a good while since she last drove, and that was in her small town on the island, not in a busy city. She was in for a crazy time tonight. While a part of her felt confident in her driving ability, there was another part of her that was incredibly cautious about making sure everyone's seatbelts were on, her mirrors were correctly aligned, and of course, the most important component of any young teenage girl's drive, the music choice.

"Okay, before we get going…" Kairi turned on some music. "Rootada's Final Distance, the M-Flo Remix?"

"Yes! But now go! Go! We have to hurry!" Judy encouraged.

Listening to Judy's demands, Kairi stepped on the gas and changed the gear at the same time. It sent them practically flying on the highway thanks to Kairi wanting to go fast. Unbeknownst to them, the owner of the car was not very far off and had only stopped off to run over to a group of bushes to use the bathroom. The poor leopard sighed as he watched Kairi drive off with his car, but she didn't notice his presence and instead, focused on the road. Judy normally would've stressed driving the speed limit, but knew they were short on time and were in a hurry.

**SAVANNA CENTRAL - ZOOTOPIA HOSPITAL (6:43PM)**

How Kairi managed to drive like a speed maniac back to the hospital without getting pulled over by police officers, nobody will ever know. Kairi parked (terribly) and rushed out with Nick and Judy right behind her. Normally she'd stop off and check in at the front, but the only thing on her mind was making sure Xion and Naminé were okay. The receptionist tried to stop Kairi from running into the back, but the stubborn girl managed to push through anyone else who tried to get in her way. The hospital was huge and a confusing place to navigate, leaving Kairi to take a few minutes before she figured out and found the ward where her friends were.

"Are they still here?" Kairi asked before she reached the glass and saw that Naminé and Xion were missing. "They got here before us!"

"Why would Jack want your friends?" Judy asked.

"He doesn't want them! It's Aros and Kaguya who want them!" She smacked her head against the window. "Great...now where are we supposed to find them? They could be anywhere!"

Chirithy popped out of Kairi hood and raised his paw. "I know where! They said they're going to the ampitheater!"

"The ampitheater...why would they…" Nick murmured. "Wait! What is today?"

"Friday." Judy answered with a shrug.

"Carrots, remember what we were supposed to do tonight before we got into this mess?"

Judy thought for a moment before letting out a gasp. "The Rootada concert! Lionhart always attends the concerts! That's where he's gonna be! And there's gonna be a big crowd!"

"We have to get to that concert!" Kairi yelled as she began running down the halls.

Nick and Judy shared a firm look of approval with each other. Everything seemed to be taking various twists and turns, and this would surely be their craziest case so far. At the end of the day, everyone was in danger and relied on them and Kairi, and there was no time to waste.

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**A/N: Yep! Kairi's driving ya'll! Our baby girl's growing up! **


	37. Bringing the House Down

**A/N: Welp, I've got a cold, so it looks like I'm working on the next chapter while in bed! Two chapters in a week!**

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Chapter 37: Bringing the House Down

**LEAVING ZOOTOPIA HOSPITAL (7:00 - 1 HOUR 'TIL THE CONCERT)**

"Okay! Everyone buckled up?" Kairi asked.

"Yep!" Nick and Judy answered in unison.

"Good! Let's go!"

"And Kairi…" Judy rested a paw on her shoulder. "I need you to go _fast_. As in, I need you to go past the speed limit."

"Really?" Kairi gasped.

"Police officer's orders, now go!"

Kairi started up the cart and stepped on the gas, sending the car practically flying out of the parking lot and down the highway toward the ampitheater. At this point, it was like playing a racing game, dodging cars and pedestrians, and flying through traffic lights as long as they weren't red. Even then, Kairi had a couple of close calls and was sure she blew through at least one red light. Lucky for her, there wasn't a cop around when that occurred.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Jack, being the conniving genius he was, slipped into a set of bouncer clothes that matched the bouncers at the theater. While Doug drove the van down, Jack remained in the back and on his computer, creating a fake ID for backstage security. He everything all set up from loading up his sniper rifles with the new dark serum bullets, to having his radio and bluetooth earpiece all charged up. Doug parked the van in an abandoned parking lot in an attempt to be conspicuous. He was dressed in all blacks, ready to blend in with his surroundings and his own rifle loaded. Jack hopped out of the van and brushed his shoulder, the signal that he was going in.

As Jack approached the back of the theater where crew members were shuffling back and forth, keeping everything running smoothly. Nobody seemed to look an inch in his direction thanks to his convincing disguise. The head bouncer was a large wolf and definitely in charge. He huffed as he looked down at Jack, who approached him with confidence. He extended paw, requesting for a form of ID.

"Backstage security." Jack said in a calm tone as he flashed his fake security ID.

The bouncer observed Jack's fake ID, but not carefully enough and did not catch that it was a fake. He waved his paw, giving Jack access to the backstage areas. He swiftly travelled through the halls, passing by Rootada's dressing room. His goal was to get up high and out of sight. Jack found the door that led up to the balcony and the catwalks. He scanned the ID, giving him access. Once he got up to the top, Jack gave the stage tech a relief. With him commanding his side of the balcony, Jack set down the briefcase and double checked his loaded sniper before positioning himself. He made sure the VIP balcony was within his full view while crouching down. Concert attendees were beginning to fill the seats, the minutes until Jack would execute his plan ticking.

"As soon as the concert starts...nobody will see this coming." Jack murmured.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

**SAVANNA CENTRAL - SHOLLYWOOD WAY (7:30PM - 30 MINUTES UNTIL CONCERT)**

"Oh come on! Stupid traffic!" Kairi yelled as she honked on the horn. "Come on! We have an emergency!"

The traffic was bad. There was no sugar coating it. It was bumper to bumper traffic. Everyone and their mother was heading in the exact same direction to the same event, the Rootada concert. Had Kairi been on her way to the concert, she would've been hyped thanks to all of the banners, posters, and billboards all advertising Rootada's concert. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case, thus leaving her short-tempered. Not to mention, Kairi wasn't used to dealing with this kind of traffic thanks to living in a small town. The worst she's dealt with is occasional backups on a residential area during morning and afternoons when school was either starting or ending. The traffic made her want to never live in a city and made her miss her island.

"I guess everyone else had the same idea of going this route tonight…" Nick mumbled.

Judy groaned. "At this point, we won't make it in time."

The sports car slowly but surely inched forward, following the rest of the cars. Judy sighed as she stared out the window, glaring at the empty sidewalk. A thought suddenly popped into her mind. She remembered there was a day when she was stuck in bumper to bumper traffic and a cop who was in a hurry put on their lights and drove on the sidewalk. Normally, Judy would be one to not disobey the law, but this was a worst case scenario where she was going to use her officer privileges.

"Okay Kairi, drive on the sidewalk!" Judy demanded.

"What? Are you nuts? That's illegal! I could lose my license and I've only had it for a day! My parents would kill me!" Kairi shook her head.

"Kairi! This is an emergency situation! Now do it!"

"Oh, but...UGH!"

Obeying Judy's demands, Kairi suddenly turned off the street and onto the sidewalk. This theoretically should've been an easy drive, but the various locals yelling and screaming at her, not to mention, the stress of watching out for pedestrians, made it more difficult than sitting in traffic. Kairi whimpered as she drove only 5 miles per hour, narrowly avoiding the pedestrians. Some were all dressed up for the concert. One was obviously an older woman who had a walker and could barely walk herself.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Emergency here!" Kairi apologized profusely.

"Please disperse!" Judy yelled out as she flashed her badge. "This is an emergency! Please move out of the way!"

As if Kairi wasn't stressed out enough, her heart rate spiked as she looked in the rearview mirror and saw the red and blue lights of a cop car flash. The cruiser turned onto the sidewalk and began to follow her. She gasped loudly, her hands shaking on the wheel. Her fingers tapped as she began to contemplate what to do at this point.

"Cops! Okay! Now what?" Kairi asked.

"Well...normally if this were me a couple years ago, I would've just skedaddled, but...eh…" Nick peeked back and saw the cop car getting closer. "Carrots? You got any ideas?"

Judy sighed. "I'm gonna be so fired for this…" She mumbled. "Kairi, ignore the cop and keep going!"

"Okay, do you _want _me to go to prison?" Kairi nearly yelled as her panic increased.

"You're not gonna go to prison! I'll handle the situation! Just keep going!"

"Oh farkleburgers!" Kairi cried out before continuing to drive on, ignoring the cop.

Honking the horn constantly to get any pedestrians out of the way, Kairi pressed harder on the gas pedal, picking up the speed and avoiding all traffic. As soon as she reached the first opportunity for a turn, Kairi turned the wheel sharply and hurried down the much emptier road now. There were parking attendants that tried to get her to stop, but it didn't do much good. She ignored each of them and drove past. The cop that was following her, got on his intercom and ordered her to pull over.

Judy encouraged Kairi to just follow the valet parking lanes directly up to the ampitheater. The goal was to get her inside as soon as possible and away from the cops. Following the lights and dodging other cars, Kairi was able to park right at the doors and take off running toward the theater. She knew better than to try and go in through the front, so she took off for the back of the theater, the same way Jack got in.

"Okay! Go! Go! Go!" Nick encouraged her to run. He looked back and saw the cops begin to surround the car. "Carrots...we are _so _fired…"

"Tell me something I _don't _know…" Judy rolled her eyes.

One officer hurried out of the car and held out their gun. "Freeze!" He shouted as Judy and Nick held their arms up.

"Judy Hopps?" The other officer asked.

"Hey Jake…Justin..." Judy muttered.

"Are you crazy? What are you doing getting involved in a car chase?" Justin asked.

Nick smirked and stepped forward. "You know what, now that you ask, allow me to explain in the most specific way possible."

"Nick! We don't have time to _buy _it!" Judy scolded. "Guys, listen to me, we _need _to get into that concert! Mayor Lionhart is in danger!"

"What?" Jake furrowed his eyebrows.

"It's Jack Savage, he's not who everyone thinks he is! He's planning to turn on the predators, starting with the mayor! He was the one responsible for the serum this whole time!"

Jake and Justin looked at each other. They didn't know what to believe at this point. It had been a crazy couple days when it came to Judy's behavior on the job. At this point, they had the options of either taking Judy and Nick to the station and chasing down Kairi, or they could listen to their warning and go check out the concert.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Kairi, on the other hand, was on a move. She hurried past the crew members, who would've tried to stop her if she wasn't so fast. She felt like she was on a countdown and had very limited time to try and stop Jack. Kair wouldn't get very far, however. The same bouncer that managed to let Jack into the back with his fake ID was still on duty. Unlike the other crew members. This guy was _huge_ compared to her. She knew if she tried to fight past him, she wouldn't stand a chance. It'd be like sneaking into the palace in Agrabah all over again. Speaking of which, it gave her an idea.

"Where's Naminé and her 'female charm' when I need her?" Kairi mumbled.

Without any of her friends with her, it was up to Kairi to come up with her own diversion. She looked over and noticed the bouncer was a wolf just like her. Letting out a sigh, she took a look at her tail that was flipping back and forth. _Am I really about to do this? _Kairi thought to herself and rolled her eyes. She took a deep breath, remaining hidden around the corner, before inching her butt and tail out so it was the only thing in the guard's sight. After Kairi let out a loud feminine giggle to get his attention, the guard arched an eyebrow as he caught sight of Kairi's tail. He chuckled with a wide smirk across the canine face before rubbing his paws together. After taking a look back and forth to make sure nobody was approaching the back of the theater, he began making his way toward Kairi's location.

"Oooh, don't you move, sweet cheeks, I'm comin' for ya!" The security guard chuckled.

"STOP!" Kairi cast her spell just as the guard reached her. He froze in place, nothing moving but his eyes. "Sorry, security, but I have an emergency situation!"

Despite the guard's attempts to free himself, Kairi's magic was no match for him. She burst through the door that took her backstage. She was astounded by the fact that nobody noticed she was back there without permission, but with the concert starting in just a few minutes, the crew was in a hurry to make sure everything was ready for Rootada and Quillex. Kairi checked everywhere. She checked the bathrooms, peeked into the dressing rooms, the green room. She even managed to check the stage and the wings. Jack was nowhere in sight. Kairi did manage to catch a glimpse of Rootada on the stage getting ready to start. She was much prettier in person than on the billboards.

"Okay...where are you, Jack?" Kairi muttered. She looked up and noticed Jack on the catwalk, crouching down. "I should've known…"

Kairi hurried over to the door to the catwalks. Unfortunately, the door was locked and she didn't have an ID card to access it. She jiggled the door handle frantically until she noticed there was a tiny keyhole in the front. _Ah! Perfect! _Kairi thought as she summoned her Keyblade. She pointed her blade to the hole until a beam shot out of it and unlocked the door for her. Was this an abuse of power? Maybe? At this point, Kairi didn't care. It was for someone else's safety, especially after noticing Mayor Lionhart sitting in the balcony that was at a perfect angle for Jack to fire.

While Kairi was sneaking backstage, Judy and Nick managed to get into the theater through the main entrance doors thanks to Jake and Justin's help. The two pairs split off with Jake and Justin handling the lobby while Judy and Nick handled the house. The lights hadn't gone out yet, giving them a chance to try and find Jack. There were thousands of fans, young and old, in the seats chatting among themselves, hyped up for the event that was about to occur. Judy and Nick checked the different rows, unsuccessful in their search. The two met up near the pit, hoping for good news from the other.

Instead, the house lights went out following Rootada's announcement. It was pitch black for a moment, until the fogged up stage started to glow in blue lights. Quillex had a spotlight shone on him as he began to play his and Rootada's new song. The crowd's excitement grew as they saw a silhouette of Rootada appear in center stage on a platform. As the music built, she began singing softly. The fans all started applauding, their cheers echoing in the theater as they knew this was their idol's newest song.

"_Breath, should I take a deep?" _Rootada sang. _"Faith, should I take a leap?"_

"Oh no! It's starting!" Judy yelled in distress. Normally she'd be joining in with the fans, but now was not a good time.

As the concert began, Kairi had made it to the top, albeit on the other side of the catwalk. She slowly approached it, eyes on her enemy. Naturally, Jack would use the concert as a way to distract the crowd and the mayor from noticing him crouching and aiming his sniper rifle at Lionhart. At first, Kairi was concerned that Jack would hear her and her entire cover would be blown, but thanks to the loud music bouncing off the walls that accompanied Rootada's beautiful vocals, she knew she would have no problem sneaking closer.

"_Taste, what a bittersweet…" _Rootada continued to sing, completely unaware of what was about to happen above her. _"All my, all my life." _

"He's not gonna hear me…" Kairi muttered.

"_Let me face, let me face, let me face my fears." _Rootada began to sing the chorus, garnering a large applause from the audience.

While the chorus was beginning, Kairi stepped onto the catwalk and began bouncing on it, causing Jack's side to shake. He nearly lost his footing and dropped his weapon. Realizing he had been exposed, Jack caught Kairi in his eyesight. She stood right in the middle of the catwalk, Keyblade drawn and shooting a cold glare toward him. Jack didn't even bother to care that she wasn't his target anymore. He pulled out his pistol and began shooting at her. Thanks to her agile movement, she could bounce off the catwalk railings and use her Keyblade to block any bullets coming her way.

Everyone in the audience, as well as Rootada and Quillex, seemed to catch wind of the pop that came from Jack firing his pistol. Judy and Nick watched as the crowds all started rushing as they all screamed in a panic. Lucky for them, Jake and Justin were in the lobby, able to handle the crowd and get them outside to safety from the brawl. It still didn't help Nick and Judy's case in trying to locate Kairi, who could've been anywhere in the theater at this point. Although the catwalk had eventually snapped on one side thanks to the impact of Kairi's constant jumping onto the railings, the sounds of the panicked crowd drowned out the chaos that was Jack and Kairi's airborne showdown. Rootada hurried off with Quillex once security came onto the stage and escorted them off.

"Come on, Nick! We have to find Kairi!" Judy urged. "Excuse us! Coming through! We have a situation!" She apologized as the two of them shoved through various audience members.

Nick browsed the audience until he looked up and saw the broken catwalk right above Rootada and Quillex. "Uh...Carrots?" He pointed up. "I think we found her."

"Oh my gosh!"

Feeling confident that Kairi was okay for now, Judy and Nick hurried over toward House Right where Mayor Lionhart's seating was. Their first priority was getting the mayor out of harm's way. Luckily, he at least had enough sense to get out of his VIP balcony and get down to the first floor of the house where Nick and Judy were.

"Mayor Lionhart!"

"Judy Hopps, what is going on here?" Lionhart asked, agitated.

"No time to explain! We need to get you out of here! You're in danger!"

Nick nodded in agreement. "Carrots is right. You get him out of here, I'll help Kairi take care of 'bunny boy' over there."

Judy nodded in agreement, remembering Jake and Justin were out in the lobby and could look after Lionhart and the concert attendees. "Be careful." She said with sincerity, earning a soft nod right back from Nick.

Back up on the stage, Kairi and Jack were continuing to try and throw each other off, both physically and mentally. They ended up chasing each other onto the stage light stands, being careful not to fall through the holes that weren't taken up by the iron bars that made up the stage lights' support beam, one of many. Kairi gripped her Keyblade, deciding that enough was enough with Jack. She began firing light orbs at him, only for him to hop out of the way and avoid them. He fired his pistol once he came back around from doing a backflip only for Kairi to emulate his moves and backflip out of the way.

Unfortunately, Kairi wasn't as lucky and accidentally slipped backwards, falling off the light beam. She managed to grab onto a rope that normally controlled the curtain, catching her breath. Jack smirked before holding up a device on his arm that shot shurikens out and toward her. Kairi gasped as she swung her body to the side, avoiding the shurikens, but causing the rope to be cut. Now with the rope sliced, she came swinging down back toward Jack. She managed to swing right into him, knocking him off the light beam.

Jack desperately grabbed onto the bars, not taking his eyes off of her. He clenched his jaw as Kairi swung around him. This time, he aimed his shurikens above her and shot them, cutting the rope above her and sending her plummeting down to the ground. Nick gasped and hurried forward, ready to catch her. As Kairi fell, it seemed like time had slowed down, and her heart was pounding against her chest. She thought back to the time she and Sora teamed up against Xehanort together, and then it hit her. It started to come back to her, the technique that Merlin had taught her during her training that was advanced for Keyblade wielders, and she had a hard time getting it town, but it managed to get her out of a tough spot once before.

Without any hesitation, Kairi bent herself into a backflip, gripped tightly onto her Keyblade, and locked her eyes onto Jack with great intensity. As if time didn't slow down enough already, now, it felt even slower. She felt great energy building up inside of her like a volcano. Once she felt ready, Kairi released, sending her flying right back up to the top in a flash of light. She levitated in the air and sent a meteor shower of orbs of light raining down on top of Jack. The impact of the shower caused Jack to lose his grip and went plummeting down to the ground. Satisfied with herself for remembering her shotlock, Kairi floated back down to the ground, cautious as she watched him slowly get back up.

"Guess you've never heard of the story of 'The Boy Who Cried Wolf'." Jack taunted, as if he were shaking off what had just occurred.

Kairi smirked as she held on. "As a matter of fact, I know _exactly _what happened in the story! Nobody believed him!"

Right on cue, Nick climbed onto the stage, cracking his knuckles. He had never felt so satisfied to apprehend somebody in his entire career.

"Heh...we've gotcha now, Savage." Nick growled.

"Out of my way, fox! I've already taken down two wolves and I can surely take down one lousy fox!" Jack threatened.

"I don't think so!" Kairi pointed her Keyblade toward him. "You're outnumbered and you've lost your weapon! Besides, I'd hate to rain on your parade again."

"What do you know? You're just a naive kid!"

Kairi glared and put down her Keyblade. "You're right. I am still a kid, and I have a lot to learn, but it doesn't take a genius to know where you belong!"

"Suit yourself…" Jack chuckled as Doug entered from offstage with another sniper.

"Really?" Nick asked as he rolled his eyes. "Come on, Savage, that's poor form. We only have one weapon with us right now."

Jack smirked as he pointed down to his seized sniper. "So do we."

Nick and Kairi both sighed of frustration as they found themselves now evenly matched. One false move, and they were _both _in trouble. Kairi could only wish that Naminé and Xion weren't both still in their savage state right now. Despite the tension rising from both sides, the light thumping of quickened footsteps, got everyone's attention. Judy had finished getting Lionhart to safety and hurried back to the stage to not only aid Kairi and Nick, but to also try and get to the bottom of the situation with Jack. Even though she was hurt and betrayed, he was still an important part of her life and wanted answers.

"Judy!" Kairi and Nick called out.

Jack folded his arms and snickered. "Look who broke out of the bunny cage."

"Jack! What are you doing? You're blowing this out of proportion!" Judy asked.

"You don't seem to get it, Judy." Jack shook his head. "Don't you remember what it was like? Being beaten around by predators? Being told you're not good enough?" He yelled. "Just because you're smaller, you're worthless?"

Judy's ears drooped as she looked at Jack's face, whose eyes began to flood with tears. "Jack...I do remember…I understand." She stepped forward.

"No, you don't understand." He growled. "Your parents are still alive…"

Nick tilted his head to the side. "Uh...am I missing something here?"

"When I was young, my parents went out for the night." Jack began to explain as he turned his back to them. "It was their ten-year wedding anniversary. I couldn't have been more proud of them as a young kid. Later that night, they never came home. The police came by that night and explained to all twenty-five of us that Mom and Dad were killed that night. Try being a young kid and having to hear that you'd never see your parents again, and you'd never have another chance to say good-bye to them."

Kairi held her head low. "That's awful…"

"A week later, the police caught my parents' murderer." Jack murmured. He turned back around and shot a deadly glare at Nick. "He was a _fox_. From that day forward, I vowed to take down every single predator until we prey could live in a world safe from these vicious creatures! And that's just what you predators are going to get!" Jack threatened.

"Stop!" Kairi yelled. "You can't base your judgement on a species just because one member did something horrible to you? If everyone was like that, the world would be at constant war with each other!" She stepped closer toward Jack. "I may be a kid, but I've seen and experienced plenty! I've seen enough that if I were to think the same as you, I'd be no better than them."

"Jack, you can't blame what happened to your family on _all _predators." Judy said in a solemn tone. "I never knew this happened, and I'm sure you're in a lot of pain, but it's like Kairi said, you're no better than the predators who look down upon us for being bunnies."

Jack smirked. "Tough talk coming from someone who chose the fox."

"Listen to yourself! You don't want to live like this! Let me help you, Jack. Do you want to live like this?"

Jack kept a harsh glare on all three of them, Nick, Judy, and Kairi. Did he want to live like this? Of course he didn't. Nobody wants to live in constant fear of being exposed, but nobody wanted to live in a world where they were looked down upon by others for uncontrollable reasons either. Jack breathed heavily, gripping his pistol. He _wanted _it to be as simple as killing off all predators to ensure the safety of him and all prey, but the more he thought about it, the more he realized Kairi was right. This time, he'd be the predator, he'd be the killer. He'd be the exact thing that destroyed his life.

Judy could see the pain through Jack's glassy eyes. Even if they weren't a couple anymore, she had gotten to know him well enough in their youth that she could tell when he was in pain. He could deny it all he wanted, but his eyes couldn't lie. Jack didn't want this at heart. Life was so much simpler for him when he wasn't focused so much on getting revenge on the predators. He sighed heavily before setting his pistol to the side.

"Jack! Enough of this bull! Get her!" Doug encouraged his partner.

"No, Doug…" Jack said in a soft tone. He dropped his pistol. "Judy's right. Enough is enough. I can't live in fear anymore. No matter what I do, it won't bring back my parents."

Kairi smiled and held out her paw. "See? And you've got friends to help you, like us."

Jack chuckled and shook his head. "No need to be a total sap about it though."

Kairi couldn't help but laugh. Through it all, she couldn't help but see Riku and remember how he came to terms with himself and his darkness. While everyone else seemed to be distracted with helping Jack out, Doug wasn't having any of it. He curled his hooves into a fist before aiming the sniper toward Kairi. Nick happened to catch it out of the corner of his eye and rushed over, struggling to grab the sniper out of Doug's hooves. As the two fought over the weapon, it was fired, but not that the intended target. Instead, it hit Jack right in the chest, sending him collapsing down to the ground in pain.

"AUGH!" Jack cried out in pain.

"Jack!" Judy fell to her knees right by him.

Jack squirmed his body around, holding his chest and continuing to moan and groan in pain. Much like Naminé and Xion, his cries started to become muffled, becoming growls and snarls instead. He got himself onto all fours as pupils in his eyes disappeared and started glowing yellow. Instead of just becoming a savage beast, Jack's body began changing. He began growing much bigger, his paws now suddenly had large claws coming out, his fangs were comparable to that of a wolf's, his fur was now disarray, ears were pointy, and was now more of a creature that looked like a mix between a werewolf and a rabbit. Doug fled the scene and out to the lobby, where Jake and Justin would finally arrest him and take him down to the station.

"The serum...it's getting to him…" Judy murmured.

Nick's eyes widened. "Uh...Carrots, it looks _a lot _worse…"

"Judy! The dark matter is swallowing his heart! He's turning into a Heartless!" Kairi cried out. "Everybody! Get out of here and get to safety!" She demanded as she gripped her Keyblade tightly.

"What can we do?" Judy asked.

Kairi sighed and shook her head. "The only thing we _can _do."

Judy and Nick stood by Kairi and watched as Jack completed the final stages of his transformation. The Heartless emblem now took place on his chest. They had lost him, but now they had a new threat. Kairi charged forward while Nick and Judy each grabbed Jack's old devices to use with Nick using the pistol and Judy using the shurikens. Now with Jack being as large as he was, he was even more threatening than he once was, having the ability to sand on all fours and his hind legs. He hopped up and bounced onto the stage, cracking it and making it shake for his opponents. Kairi nearly lost her footing, giving Jack the advantage to sweep kick her down.

Kairi bounced back up, not even close to giving up. Nick and Judy rushed around Jack's body, attempting to attack different points. Judy shot the shurikens onto the ground, points up. As soon as Jack stepped on them, he leapt in pain while Nick went for his shoulder, aiming the pistol and getting a solid shot on him. Kairi decided to try the technique she went for before. She cast a Watera spell on him, but unlike the previous attempt, Jack was a much bigger Heartless and it wasn't as effective.

Instead, Kairi noticed Jack's pointy ears and decided to try something else. She rushed over and decided to hop on up to the top. She wall kicked herself high and gripped onto Jack's arm. He attempted to throw her off, but was unsuccessful. As she climbed up to the top, Jack clenched his paw, causing what looked like atomic carrots to sprout from the ground, getting Nick and Judy rather good. Kairi noticed and jumped on down to their aid, especially when the same atomic carrots started shooting seeds out of their tops like a BB gun. They shot up and showered over all three of them. She huddled close to Nick and Judy and held her Keyblade up, casting a Reflect shield on top of all three. Lucky for them, some of the seeds were deflected right back toward Jack.

After casting Cure on her party, Kairi got an idea. She did another wall kick, but then shotlocked herself back up to the top of the light beam. She cast Watera on the lights, creating an intense static among the entire row. Kairi had to time this perfectly if it was going to work. She started shouting out Jack's name, getting his attention. It seemed that when Jack lost his heart, he lost his brain too. Not even considering the fact that there were a bunch of lights, he began rushing for Kairi, snarling and growling. She timed it very carefully.

Just as Jack's head was about to collide with the light beam, Kairi backflipped into the air. The Heartless made impact with the light beam, and was electrocuted by thousands of volts. Once the voltage had calmed down, Jack had collapsed onto the ground, weaker, but not ready to quit. He went on a rampage and began rushing about on all ours. As soon as Kairi landed and was within his eyesight, Jack smacked her up with his claws and also got her again with consecutive swipes before sending her flying into the wall. Kairi moaned in pain as she slowly got up from the ground. Jack was beginning to look toward Nick and Judy for his next target. She took a moment to catch her breath before casting Cure on herself and jumping right back into the battle.

As Jack drew close to Nick and Judy, Kairi was able to catch up. She managed to send her Keyblade spiraling at Jack before suddenly vanishing and reappearing at the same spot her weapon was, ready to unleash a flurry of slashes and strikes on Jack. It was definitely a spectacle in Nick and Judy's eyes. Kairi released all of this energy built up within her before finishing Jack off with a Pearl spell. Having nothing left within him, the Heartless collapsed onto the ground, this time, for good. He faded away, leaving nothing behind but a memory and legacy he wouldn't want to be remembered by.

"Jack…" Judy softly murmured his name.

Kairi rested a paw on her shoulder. "Jack's heart battled the darkness, and it lost. You did what you could."

"Well, we got that out of the way." Nick said as he tapped his foot.

"Whoa! Hey, you're not gonna cut the party too soon now, are ya?"

It turned out that defeating Jack wasn't the only thing on the night's agenda. Kairi looked back as she heard the familiar obnoxious voice and just as she expected, Aros and Kaguya showed up from the dark portal that formed behind her. While they were definitely familiar faces, there was something different about them. They had not just one, but two more allies with them. They were two wolves to be exact, on a savage rampage, restrained by collars and chains that kept them under control.

"Aros! Kaguya!" Kairi growled. "What are you doing with Xion and Naminé?"

Kaguya smirked as she stepped forward. "You thought we'd just sit idly by while you play with all the cute little animals?"

"I don't care what you do, just let my friends go!"

"Sorry, no can do. You see, we've seemed to run into a pattern of you being way too stubborn to do as you're told by us." Aros sighed and shook his head.

"And that surprises you, why?" Kairi spat back.

"It doesn't." Kaguya said as she folded her arms. "In illustrating your stubbornness, we've had to think outside the box."

Aros chuckled. "It was so cute watching how protective you were of your friends that...well...I just had to see what would happen if something happened to 'em."

Kairi growled as she got ready to charge at them. "I am sick of games! Now, release them before I force you to let them go!"

"Okay, sure!" Aros scoffed.

Just as Aros promised, he released his grip on the chains, giving Xion and Naminé free range of movement. The two of them ran toward Kairi, as if they were starving and eager to chase down their next prey. The last thing she wanted to do was fight off her own friends. Kairi knew they were gone at the moment, but for whatever reason, something was holding them back from actually attacking her. Instead, the two circled her like they were a bunch of buzzards circling a dead carcass.

"Xion, Naminé, please…" Kairi softly pleaded. "Please, come back." Xion and Naminé simply surrounded her, growling and snarling. "Why can't you just leave my friends alone and fight your own battles?"

Kaguya chuckled. "You wanna cry about it, Kairi? Go ahead, cry. Be a pathetic little princess and cry about it."

"No...I won't…" She said while eyes started to fill with tears.

"Oh? Not sad enough? Surely, you must be angry about it then, huh?" Aros taunted her. "Go ahead...yell, scream, show us how _really _angry you can get."

Kairi shook her head. "No, you're not worth getting angry over! And do you know why? Because you are a pathetic, heartless jerk who can barely hold himself in battle!" She held her Keyblade up. "Nick! Judy! Let's get 'em!"

Judy dashed around from behind. "I'm on it!" She jumped up, ready to drop kick Kaguya, only for Kaguya to cast a freeze spell, stopping her.

Nick made an attempt to physically attack Aros and jumped onto his back. Unfortunately, he underestimated how strong Aros could be. Nick was knocked off of his back, but what not ready to quit. As he got up, ready to attack again, Aros summoned his Keyblade and stabbed Nick in the side. He froze in place, taking a flash of a second to realize that he had been stabbed before collapsing onto the ground, unconscious.

"Nick!" Kairi cried out as she reached for him.

Judy hopped up and ran over to Nick, supporting him in her arms. "No! Nick!" She took out a handkerchief and pressed against his wound, preventing anymore blood from seeping out.

Kairi's heart sank, and yet it raced at the same time. Between her friends being lost to the serum and Nick being severely hurt, she felt like all of the blood was rushing from her body. She fell to her knees and screamed, which was music to Aros and Kaguya's ears. It was exactly what they wanted. Kairi dug her claws into the ground and found herself losing her state of mental consciousness. Soon she found herself on all fours, snarling and growling. Judy gasped as she saw Kairi in the same savage state as Xion and Naminé. This time, all three of them were head to head with each other.

Xion and Naminé lunged at Kairi, only for her to struggle and knock them both off of her. Instead of wasting her time with them, Kairi looked ahead and glared at her prime target. Ignoring whatever else was in sight, she sprinted toward Aros and tackled him to the ground. She didn't even bother using the Keyblade and instead attacked with her bare hands, working off of complete primal instinct. The only thing she cared about at the moment was making sure Aros suffered as much pain as he could.

Kaguya gasped, shocked at what was happening. Seeing Kairi like this was new to her and it was also new to Aros. In fact, neither of them could've predicted just how brutal Kairi was in this state. Even though she was an animal in this world, what would've this been like if she were in her normal human form? Aros grunted as he struggled to get Kairi off of him. Instead, she continued to scratch and try to bite him. If it weren't for his helmet, his face would've been mangled by her with how savage she had gone. It was as if she weren't herself anymore.

Despite everything, and this being what they wanted out of Kairi, Kaguya couldn't stand sitting idly by and watching Aros get beaten up by Kairi. She smashed her paw against his helmet, causing a number of cracks. Hearing Aros struggle against Kairi, Kaguya rushed forward and shoved her off of him. Kairi grunted as she hit the ground, and thankfully, a smack to the noggin was all it took to snap her out of her savage state. She sat up slowly and watched as Kaguya helped Aros up. Kairi gasped as she saw the cracks and scratches and scuff marks on his helmet and armor. Just a few minutes ago, he looked unscathed. Nick couldn't have done that, and neither could've Judy. Xion and Naminé probably wouldn't have done that either.

"Did...I...do that?" Kairi muttered as she stared down at her paws, not even realizing that Aros and Kaguya had fled the scene once again, and leaving Xion and Naminé behind. They were still in a savage state, but Judy was able to use another tranquilizer to put them to sleep until they could get to the hospital again.

"Kairi? Are you okay?" Judy asked.

Kairi nodded slowly. "Yeah, I am. What about Nick?"

"I...I don't know…" She answered, her ears drooping. "We have to get him to the hospital, and quick! Your friends too!"

"Right!"

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Everybody hurried off to the hospital, hoping that Nick could get treated or his stab wound and so Xion and Naminé could finally be cured. They were in the hospital overnight, but the next morning, everything seemed to be returning back to normal. The antidote for the serum had worked on Naminé and Xion and the two now just slept the rest of their recovery time away. Kairi was absolutely relieved that they were okay. She chose to let them sleep and decided to wait for them and Nick to wake up on their own.

Nick was able to get his wound treated and patched up. He also slept through the night thanks to the amount of pain medicine they gave him for his wound. Judy stayed out of his room and in the waiting room. She wanted to see him, more than anything, but couldn't bring herself to do so. Instead, Kairi would check on him for her. When she noticed Nick starting to wake up, she sat on the edge of his bed.

"Hey, you're coming around." Kairi chuckled.

Nick shrugged his shoulders. "All in a hard day's work, I guess."

"Glad to see you're okay. We were all worried." She sighed in relief.

"Hey, how are your friends?" He asked as he sat up.

"Naminé and Xion were treated last night and are resting. They'll be okay."

"Where's Judy?" Nick darted his head around the room.

Kairi sighed as she walked over to the door. "Judy's afraid to even look at you. She feels like it's her fault that this happened."

"What? She's crazy for thinking that. Tell me I'm wrong."

"You're wrong." She nodded with her arms folded.

"Oh...you weren't supposed to say that." Nick rolled his eyes.

"Nick, you have to understand that there's a lot of layers when it comes to guilt. I know from experience. If you believe this isn't her fault, then she needs to hear you say it." Kairi said with seriousness in her voice.

Nick sighed heavily before finally taking Kairi's advice. He asked her to go get his partner in crime and send her in. Judy stepped into the room slowly, ears drooped low, with Kairi right behind her. She knew this wasn't easy for Judy, but knew from experience that she had to do this, otherwise she'd live with it for the rest of her life.

"Hi Nick." Judy softly greeted him.

"I'll leave you two alone." Kairi smiled as she shut the door behind her.

Nick smile slyly. "Hey, Carrots. It's okay, you can come in. I'm not a zombie or anything."

"I know, I just…" She sat on the side of his bed and faced him. "I'm...so sorry. I feel like all of this is my fault." Judy's sniffled as tears fell down her face.

"Judy...why are you crying?"

"Because, I feel like all I've done is hurt you! If...if you don't want to be partners anymore, I understand." She softly cried.

Nick sighed before a warm smile formed on his face. "Hey, if I acted like a big jerk before, it's because I want to be your partner." He laughed playfully as Judy smiled warmly. He had a weird way of expressing his feelings, but it was effective. Her heart melted as Nick pulled her into a hug. "There, there, always so sensitive." He said while patting her on the head.

"I'm sorry." Judy wiped her tears.

"Nothing to apologize for. Besides, you haven't forgotten our little talk we had at the warehouse, did you? You still owe me a date."

"You really mean that?" She asked, an eyebrow tilting up.

Nick shrugged as he leaned closer to her. "Let's be real, we're stuck together for the rest of our lives."

"Rest of our lives, eh? You care about me that much, huh?"

"Eh...maybe?" He answered with a shrug.

"Come on, Nick. You know you love me." Judy snickered.

"Do I?" Nick asked before leaning forward and resting his hand on top of hers. "Yes, yes I do." He same before holding a tender smile, one that he had rarely shown to her since they met. Yet, here he was, a changed fox, and gazing into the eyes of what was once an unlikely comrade and now, possibly something more than a friend.

"Aww, how sweet. I could cry." Kairi sighed as she rested her paw against her chest, having been watching the entire tender moment from outside.

Deciding to give Judy and Nick more privacy, Kairi meandered down the hall to check on Naminé and Xion. She had hoped the two of them would be waking up soon since Nick had already woken up. As she approached their room, Kairi smiled as the two of them slept soundly in their beds. Even if they weren't awake, she at least knew that the antidote had cured them, just as Judy and the doctors had promised. Soon enough, they'd be a team again. That time would be right this moment as Xion and Naminé both stirred, each of them cracking their eyes open to the morning sun.

"Naminé! Xion!" Kairi hurried into their room.

"K-Kairi?" Naminé murmured.

Xion stretched and yawned. "Wow...talk about a crazy dream. I had this dream that I turned into this wild and savage wolf and tried to kill you."

"Me too…" Naminé said with a nod.

Kairi sighed as she revealed her cheek's scar. "It...wasn't a dream…"

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry…" Xion shook her head.

"No, don't blame yourself. It wasn't your fault. You and Naminé both got shot by Doug and the serum affected you."

"Did you guys catch him?" Naminé asked as she sat up.

"Yeah, but…" Kairi took a deep breath. "You're not gonna believe this. Jack was behind this whole scheme the whole time!"

"It was Jack?" Xion asked. She threw her head back after Kairi nodded her head. "I always miss the twists in these crime shows!"

"Yeah, it was a complicated mess. But, I'm just glad you two are okay."

Naminé looked around for a moment. "Wait, where are Nick and Judy?"

"Nick had a run-in with Aros, so he's in the room next door. Judy's with him." Kairi chuckled.

"Spilling each other's guts?" Xion smirked.

"You know it!"

"That's so cute!" Naminé sighed. She looked down at her paws, thinking deeply. "You know, maybe a replica like me _could _have a chance at love, like a bunny and a fox could have a chance at love together, right?"

"Of course." Kairi said with a confident nod. "You may have a replica's body, same with you, Xion, but your hearts are no less human than mine is."

Kairi was silent for a moment. She thought back to the moment when she went completely savage on Aros, and that was _without _the serum. She stared down at the ground, hoping her face was as neutral as possible.

_**Should've I told them what happened? I didn't want them to worry. Then again, a part of me feels like that wasn't normal, especially for someone like me, whose heart is supposed to be made of pure light. Naminé, Xion, and I aren't even real wolves and yet, all three of us gave into those savage instincts. Maybe...I'm not as safe as I thought I was...from anything.**_

Naminé and Xion did manage to snap Kairi out of her daze, taking notice that she was spacing out. Like usual, they asked her if she was okay, to which she denied any strange thoughts she was having. Xion, who was ready to get out of bed and walk around, suggested the three of them head over to Nick's room to check on him, to which Naminé and Kairi agreed.

"Nick, how are you feeling?" Naminé asked as the trio walked into his room.

Nick shrugged his shoulders. "Eh, just a scar at this point."

"Does this technically prove that you can't do all of this without our help?" Xion asked as she placed her paws on her hips.

"Uh...I never said anything about that."

Judy folded her arms. "No, but you were thinking about it."

"No I wasn't!" Nick argued.

A nurse came in and asked if Nick was available for visitors. He didn't know of any visitors who would be visiting him in the hospital, but figured a visitor would be nice. A few minutes later, the nurse escorted somebody neither of them knew into the room. He was a tall panther, was wearing a suit, and appeared to have an earpiece and a briefcase with him. Nick didn't recognize him, neither did Judy, and the girls definitely had no idea who he was.

"Excuse me? You're Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde?" The panther asked.

Judy furrowed her eyebrows. "Y-Yes?"

"Got something for you, on behalf of Miss Rootada herself."

The panther pulled a sheet of paper out of a manilla envelope and handed it over to Judy. Nick leaned over and the girls crowded around her as she started to read it to herself. She expected the worst, but it managed to be the complete opposite judging by the wide smile that began spreading across her face.

"Oh my gosh!" Judy gasped.

"What is it?" Kairi asked, bouncing with anticipation.

Judy nearly bounced on the bed. "Rootada is eternally grateful for our bravery and courage for saving everybody at the concert and has asked us to personally join her for her next concert at the ampitheater!"

"Oh my gosh! VIP guests?" Naminé asked.

"With a famous pop star?" Xion began rubbing her paws together.

"This is amazing!" Kairi jumped up and down.

Nick chuckled. "Well, I guess once we get discharged from the hospital, looks like we're going to the concert after all."

Thanks to the crew at the ampitheater, it only took a day for everything to get restored and fixed up for Rootada's big concert. Naturally, Nick and Judy accepted her invite to personally join her and the panther, who turned out to be Rootada's agent, also allowed Kairi, Naminé, and Xion to join them backstage as well. It was an unexpected surprise and it gave the girls an excuse to wear their 'nightclub' clothes again before turning back into humans. Plus, when was the last time they had just a night of fun since beginning this journey?

Rootada's limo picked everyone up for the concert and brought them down to the back of the ampitheater. Despite them coming to the back of the building for exclusive backstage access, Kairi couldn't help but feel salty. After all, Naminé and Xion didn't have to sneak their way past a perverted security guard in order to stop a potential killer. Once the limo was parked, the driver let them out. There was extra security backstage after the incident that occurred before, but thanks to Rootada's agent escorting them, security didn't give them any trouble. Although the one guard outside did a double take on Kairi.

"Wow, I've never been backstage at a concert before!" Naminé gazed around.

Kairi rolled her eyes. "I have...and not for fun…"

"This is so cool!" Judy nearly bounced up and down.

"Well, never thought I'd see myself being _invited _backstage. In the past, they've had to chase me out of concerts." Nick chuckled.

Of course the backstage crew was cool and watching them set up everything was a treat, but the real surprise lay in the lounge in Rootada's dressing room. It was always the one that bands and singers used for meet 'n greets with fans who had backstage passes. It was a nice lounge with bright lights, clean carpets, very comfortable sofas, and a bunch of free food and beverages. The packaged snacks and canned beverages were nice, but the fact that there were homemade appetizers set up was a whole new level of awesome.

"Wow! What a lounge!" Xion gazed. "Free food!" She hurried over and immediately began devouring the appetizers. "I need to go backstage at more concerts!"

"Hey, everybody!" Rootada greeted the crew as she emerged from another door without any warning.

"Whoa! She's real!" Nick said with his eyes widened.

"Wow, Rootada!" Judy moved forward and shook Rootada's paw. "It's such a pleasure to meet you. I'm such a big fan of your work."

"That's so sweet of you to say. The pleasure is all mine. It's not every day you get to personally thank your heroes."

"All in a day's work." Nick said with a confident nod. He looked to the side and remembered the other girls were with them too. "Oh, by the way, these three are Kairi, Naminé, and Xion."

Kairi smiled widely and held her paw out. "So nice to meet you! I'm...kind of a new fan, but I've heard great things about you!"

"Good to meet you too, Kairi!" Rootada giggled. "Can I say you have an _excellent _taste in hair? It's so pretty!"

"Oh thank you! Not as pretty as yours, of course!"

Xion chuckled and shook her head. "Kairi is _such _a fangirl."

"And you weren't during our whole crime scene investigation?" Naminé asked.

"Touche."

Rootada had everyone sit in the lounge with her. "Well, I'm glad to have you all here tonight. Each of you saved my life the other night. Inviting you all here was the least I could do."

"Oh, it was no trouble." Kairi chuckled.

Naminé nodded. "Besides, now we all get to watch the concert. Nick and Judy were supposed to attend the concert, but then...well...everything happened."

"Well, lucky for you, they were able to fix the theater so Quillex and I could redo our concert." Rootada noted. "By the way, you three girls, your voices are _so pretty_. I could use some backup singers tonight during my final number. You think you might be interested in taking part?"

Kairi gasped before nodding frantically. "Yes! We'd love to!"

"Oh my gosh!" Naminé nearly squealed.

"The boys are missing out on this!" Xion laughed.

Right on time, the concert began. Everybody was invited to the exclusive VIP seating, a private box, to watch the concert from there, to which they did. The fans, including Judy and Nick, all began screaming as Quillex and Rootada emerged from the stage to begin their second go at their concert, and to _finally _debut their new song that she had begun singing the other night, but never got to finish. Kairi, Naminé, and Xion found themselves dancing along and jamming to the first song, as well as the rest of the songs in her lineup. They didn't know most of them, but Nick and Judy did and there was nothing more satisfying than seeing the two of them have such a great time jamming out together after such a rough week.

When it came time for Kairi, Naminé, and Xion to take the stage with Rootada, it just so happened to take place during her final number. The techs got the girls all microphoned up and ready to go a couple songs prior. They were excited, but there was a bit of nerves circulating through Kairi's stomach. It's been a long time she sang for anybody and she's never performed in front of a crowd, unless singing karaoke with Sora, Riku, and Selphie counted, which she didn't.

Rootada's final song was one that every one of her fans knew. Even Kairi, Naminé, and Xion knew the words to it. It was her most famous song and the one that gave her an extra kick in Zootopia. In act, Judy had hooked up Kairi's phone to her computer and downloaded all of her Rootada music, setting this particular song as Kairi's new ringtone. Once the song began, the nerves started kicking Kairi in the gut a little more. How Naminé and Xion were so calm, she'll never know. Luckily, they were just joining her for the chorus.

"_When you walk away, you don't hear me say: Pleeeeaaassseeee! Oh baby, don't go! Simple and clean is the way that you're making me feel tonight. It's hard to let it go." _The girls all sang with Rootada. It truly was a jam and had become one of Kairi's favorite songs.

"Okay Kairi, you're up!" Rootada pulled her out to center stage as she was about to sing the second verse.

"Wh-wha…?" Kairi's stomach nearly shot up through her throat.

"You can do it! You know the words!"

Kairi swallowed the lump in her throat and took a deep breath. It was too late to turn back now. She recalled the words from listening to them on her phone and began to jam out to the music. Rootada rested her hands on her hips and bopped her head along with Kairi's singing. The crowd even began cheering for her. As Kairi became more comfortable, she started dancing while singing, really putting on a show. She even brought out Naminé and Xion to back her up before Rootada joined back in for the big finale.

Like any good pop concert, it concluded with fireworks shooting out from the stage and a great pose from all four girls. Kairi smiled widely as she caught her breath. She felt like she had been flying in thin air. It was a rush that matched that of flying in a gummi ship. If there was one thing that awakened her confidence, it was performing in front of thousands of strangers. Naminé and Xion knew of how nervous she was to perform, and they couldn't have been prouder.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

The next day, it was finally time for everyone to part ways and say goodbye. Despite everything that went down with the investigation, Kairi enjoyed her time in Zootopia. She wouldn't mind coming back for another visit, especially since there were a lot more districts that she never got to see. Xion and Naminé had also enjoyed the place, but were also looking forward to being back in their own skin and not being covered from head to toe in fur. Judy and Nick saw them off in the morning. They gifted the girls some fresh carrots from Judy's parents' farm as well as a few freshly baked pies for the road.

"You guys sure you really wanna take off?" Judy asked. "Zootopia is _the _place for opportunity, after all."

Kairi nodded. "Yeah. We've still got a long journey ahead of us, but we'll be sure to drop in for a visit sometime."

"Yep! Especially if this Rootada girl is doing another concert!" Xion nodded in agreement.

"Y'know, you really are gonna make a great cop one day, Xion." Nick noted before giving Xion what looked like a police officer badge, only it was plastic, and one that kids usually wore.

"Sorry it's not real, but it's something to give you a little motivation for when you're ready to work towards your dreams." Judy said in a tender tone.

"Thanks guys." Xion said before hugging both of them.

"Kairi, stay strong out there, okay?" Judy said with a nod after breaking the hug.

"I will, especially with these two with me!" Kairi said with a wide smile. "Take it easy out there, Nick?"

"Eh...I don't know how long that'll last, but I'll give it a shot." Nick shrugged his shoulders.

"Make sure you two lovebirds behave yourselves while you're at work." Naminé said while smiling mischievously.

"Uh…" Nick and Judy shared a bashful look with each other while their faces flushed red.

Kairi laughed before guiding her friends back toward the ship. "Come on, you two."

"Bye! Thanks for your help!" Judy waved.

As the morning sun rose up, the day continued, as did Kairi and her friends on their journey. They had left Zootopia with improved confidence, thanks to the support of their new friends, Nick and Judy. Naminé no longer felt like a replica didn't have a chance at finding love, Xion had a dream she wanted to follow thanks to everything she learned on the job, and Kairi felt like she could face her fears and overcome anything. Except for one thing continued to linger on her mind, but that would be something she'd think about another time.

* * *

**A/N: Aaaaaand that's a wrap! So, like I said before, with ReMind coming out in just a few days, this fic is going on a temporary hiatus just in case ReMInd gives me new material to work with from here on out. That being said, there is the potential for spoilers for the DLC from here on out, so proceed with caution if you choose to read the rest of the fic before finishing ReMind! That being said, hope you guys all have fun and enjoy the DLC! It looks great!**

**AND PLAYABLE KAIRI!**


	38. Star Seekers

**A/N: OMG! I was supposed to post this yesterday, but I had a long day at work and completely forgot! Ugh! Anyway guys, this fic is ONE YEAR OLD! With that in mind, I am back from hiatus! Hope ya'll enjoyed playing ReMind because I did and it was AWESOME! **

**With ReMind & Limit Cut out, I did go through the older chapters and make some slight changes here and there to reflect the new content. However, I don't deem it necessary to go back and reread them unless you wanna see Riku and Kairi's rewritten fight in Chapter 2 and read a new scene with the Wayfinder trio in Chapter 13. At the end of the day, the overarching plot of the fic is gonna stay the same from here on out. The changes were more or less for the new readers that are just discovering the fic post-ReMind.**

**Okay, now that we got all of that out of the way! Here's the new chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 38: Star Seekers

In the peaceful fields of Radiant Garden, Aros and Kaguya found themselves fleeing from the chaos of Zootopia. It was evening. The sun was down, the town, as well as its residents, rested peacefully, and the nocturnal creatures of the forest were out on the hunt. Kaguya kept close to Aros as he slowly dragged himself forward. She had only seen him like this one before, and she remembered the last time, all it took was her standing by him to brighten his spirits. Her hands interlocked as she waited for Aros to speak. Instead, he was quiet, avoiding eye contact with her. Aros stared down at his hands, his heart pounding against his chest.

"Aros? Are you okay?" Kaguya asked.

Aros took a deep breath, keeping his head low. "I've...never seen her like that before…" He muttered to himself.

"Aros…?"

"Oh, sorry." He apologized while rubbing the back of his head. "I'm fine, really!"

"Are you sure? It looks like Kairi really scratched you up." She noted.

"Eh, it's fine. That's what armor is for, to protect you." Aros said with a shrug, not noticing that a piece of fabric from his armor had torn up, revealing a deep slash.

Kaguya gasped, reached forward and lightly grabbing Aros' arm. "Wait, you're hurt."

"Oh, this?" He chuckled. "It's nothing, just a scratch."

"Can I at least patch it up?" She asked as she sat down with him.

Aros sighed, realizing he wasn't going to get far without her helping him. "Well, I guess a little patching won't hurt."

Kaguya sat down, gently bringing Aros down with her. She looked around briefly, coming to the realization she didn't have anything of the sorts. Instead, she had to improvise. Kaguya grabbed a leaf and dampened it in the pond they sat by. After placing the damp leaf on Aros' wound, she pulled a long piece of grass and tied it around, applying a little pressure to the wound, but not too much. Despite the application not doing much, Aros couldn't help but watch Kaguya fondly. She didn't need to do this, and yet, she did. Why? He didn't deserve it, did he?

"Thanks…" Aros thanked her softly.

Kaguya nodded. "Of course. I'm not hurting you, am I?"

"Nah. Kairi did the same thing to Sora whenever he got hurt."

"Oh?" She tilted her head to the side.

"Yeah. She was always...really gentle, and her hands...they were really soft...just like yours." Aros said in a tender tone.

"I see…" Kaguya said with her head low.

Despite Kaguya keeping her gloves on, Aros could feel her hand's warmth right through the fabric. He remembered the first time their hands touched. It was the first time either of them had felt physical contact with another person other than themself. It was...nice, as the two of them would put it. Kaguya especially thought so, yet there was something that was preventing her from enjoying the warmth of each other's presence, but what?

"Your hand, would it be okay if I held it again?" Aros asked as he held his hand out.

Kaguya, remembering how she felt the first time, removed her glove. She wasn't as hesitant this time around. Yet, there was a part of her that wondered if it was her touch that he wanted to feel or if it was Kairi's. Why would he be thinking about Kairi? She was their enemy. It was all confusing to her. Still, as Aros requested, Kaguya reached out and rested her hand in his. Upon contact, his fingers curled and cradled hers. Although there was some uncertainty with Kaguya, she couldn't deny that whatever warm feeling Aros had from her touch, she felt the same.

"Yeah...warm and soft…" Aros murmured. "It's really...nice."

"Just...like hers?" Kaguya asked as she brought back her hand.

"I-I didn't mean it like that! I just meant...the feeling was really nice. It's like, I know how Sora felt when he held Kairi's hand. I felt the same feeling. You know what I mean?" He stammered, trying to correct himself.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She said softly while slipping on her glove.

"Nothing to apologize for. It was a...misunderstanding. They happen. Besides, I can't get on you for that. Feelings and emotions are complicated things, and when your heart and mind are feeling different things, it gets even more crazy." Aros explained as she stretched his legs out.

"What do you mean?"

"Well…" He thought for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain. "Maybe your mind might be feeling one thing about a person and your heart might be feeling something completely different. Maybe your heart thinks someone is special, but your mind thinks they're bad news. Have you ever had that happen to you?"

Kaguya held her head low. There was one instance where it occurred, and unfortunately, it was recurring. She knew it, but she always denied it. There were two people in her life that meant something to her. One of them was someone she considered her partner and maybe something even more. The other was someone she didn't know how to feel about. He was always there for her, and yet, she always felt empty around him. She never knew what he was thinking and how it would affect her. There was a feeling of warmth and bittercold at the same time. It caused a painful pit in her stomach to even think about him.

"This is a nice place. What is this world?" Kaguya asked, changing the subject.

Aros paused, realizing he hit a sensitive subject. Not wanting to press her any further, he decided to go along with it. "This is Radiant Garden. It's a special world."

"Radiant Garden? Is this Kairi's home?"

"Yeah, her original home. This world has quite a history. The most famous tale was when the world fell to darkness about 11 years ago. Radiant Garden transformed into this wasteland called Hollow Bastion. When the worlds were falling to darkness-one by one-this world was the gateway to oblivion, the final keyhole." Aros recalled the tale as if he were there. "Sora sealed the final keyhole, as well as the door to darkness. After that, this world was almost restored to its former glory. They just finished restoring it to what it once was and more."

Kaguya smiled as she looked out toward the village. "It's really...beautiful."

"Like the flowers right there?" He pointed out with a chuckle.

"Yeah!" She giggled softly.

"Got a favorite color yet?"

"Hmm…" Kaguya looked over and noticed a pink flower. She plucked it from the ground and held it close to her helmet. "I'm liking the pink ones. It's a really soft color."

Aros laughed softly. "It suits you." Kaguya looked at him with her head tilted in confusion. "I mean like if you were to wear that flower in your hair or something...I'm sure you'd look really...pretty."

Kaguya, unable to put the flower in her hair because of her helmet, decided to use a magic spell. Using the spell, it stuck the flower right on the side of her panther-inspired helmet, where the ear normally was. She bounced her head forward a couple times, testing to make sure the spell worked.

"How is this?" Kaguya asked as she tilted her head back and forth.

Aros smiled, gazing upon her. "Just as I thought...really pretty."

"Aros! You're...smiling!" Kaguya gasped, noticing the chunk of his helmet that covered his lower jaw had broken off and revealed his mouth.

"Wha…?" He asked, stammering and looking about.

"Look, the bottom chunk of your helmet fell off!"

"Hmmm…." Aros stroked his exposed chin with his hand. "I thought I felt a draft in my helmet." He chuckled. "I guess Kairi really did a number on the helmet then."

"Y-Yeah…" She nodded slowly, bringing her head down. Her helmet hid a blush that spread all across her face.

"Did I say something wrong?" He asked while tilting his head.

Kaguya shook her head quickly. "N-No, not at all. I...I think...you have a...nice smile."

"Oh," Aros laughed in amusement. "Thanks." He said while flashing another smile. "I'm sure yours is nice too. That is...if you'll show me." He watched as Kaguya folded her hands, her fingers twiddling with each other. "You don't have to show me if you don't want to."

"I just...I don't feel right about it." She said softly.

"Oh, okay. No big deal." He shrugged his shoulders.

Kaguya rested a hand against the bottom of her helmet, her smile fading. It was moments like this where she smiled the most. To her, there was nothing like just sitting down in a nice peaceful spot and enjoying the moment. Having Aros by her side was a nice bonus, having someone to talk to who seemed to have a more positive outlook on everything as opposed to Luxu, who did nothing but preach darkness and negativity around her. She never smiled around Luxu, never having a reason to. Aros was different. He made her feel like there was a whole different side to her that she never knew existed, a side that was...better? It reminded her of the stars in the night sky. Even the darkness had a beautiful side to it.

"Aros?" Kaguya broke the silence. "Could I ask you a weird favor?"

"Uh...sure? How weird are we talking?" Aros answered, a little taken back by her request.

"I'm not sure, but...would it be okay if we could just lay here and look up at the stars?" She asked as she brushed her arm.

"Oh! That's not a weird favor at all!" Aros laughed. "People do that all the time. You don't have to ask me twice to do it."

As the two of them lay down on their backs, their eyes gazing right up at the stars, Aros took in a blissful breath. He started to think back to his past. He remembered staying up until crazy hours in the night, watching the stars with his friends. It was a much more enjoyable moment to think about other than trying to hunt down Kairi for Luxu. Aros sighed his fingers tapping against his abdomen. It was times like this that made him wish he could just run away and forget everything, go back to where he came from. The big question was...where did he come from? Even if he had sporadic memories, Aros couldn't bring himself to remember who he was in the past. He looked over at Kaguya. He couldn't put his finger on it, but there was something about her that was almost reminding him of who he was as a person.

"What are you doing?" Aros asked.

"I noticed that if you connect certain stars, it makes a picture." Kaguya answered as she chuckled with amusement. "Like that one looks like…"

"A cactuar." He filled her in. Aros pointed up and began tracing out another shape he saw in the sky. "You think you can figure out what that one is?"

"Hmm…" She squinted her eyes, hoping to see the picture. "That looks like...like...a bomb?"

Aros nodded with a laugh. "Hey, you're getting good at this."

"I guess this is...fun?" Kaguya asked.

"Yeah, sure is. You know, there's a lot more to stars than most people think." Aros noted.

"What do you mean? Aren't they just sparkling dots in the sky?" Kaguya asked as she looked over.

"That's what everyone thinks they are because they only see stars from a long distance away, but when you dig a little deeper, then you learn a lot more about them." He pointed up to a shining star. "You see how some stars are bigger and brighter than others?" Kaguya nodded in response. "Well, those stars, they are other worlds."

Kaguya gasped. "I never knew…"

"Not everyone knows about that. They just look up and think those stars are bigger stars. That's why not everyone believes there are other worlds. They only choose to believe what they see rather than what they feel." He said in a low tone.

"So, when we travel to a different world, we're travelling that far?" She asked, earning an amused nod from Aros. "That's crazy!"

"It gets even crazier. Some believe that if you see a comet flying from one bright star to another, it's a Keyblade wielder travelling between worlds." Aros chuckled. "Our entire world is one that its made up of many worlds, and there is so much we don't know about it. This world that we're in now, is just a small piece of something much greater."

Kaguya hummed as she stared right up into the stars. "I'd like to see them...someday."

"You mean other worlds?"

"Yeah. I know we've seen a few already, but I'd like to see them all if I can."

Aros sat up, resting his arms on his knees. Kaguya's desire to see other worlds sparked something in him. He remembered often having a dream of travelling to different worlds, seeing what exactly the much bigger world was made up of. It wasn't just a past dream, it was a dream he still had. While his and Kaguya's mission did send them to different worlds, it wasn't necessarily a joyride, and Aros knew it'd be much more of an adventure if they just went and travelled the different worlds for the fun of it.

"Hey Kaguya, I just got this crazy idea." Aros said as he stood up and walked ahead.

"What crazy idea?" She asked as she sat up.

"Let's just play hooky for once." He suggested as he kicked some dirt.

"Hooky?"

"You know, take a day off? Hell, let's take multiple days off, take a vacation!"

Kaguya furrowed her eyebrows. "A vacation? From what?"

"From doing what old man Luxu wants us to do. I mean, come on, he's not exactly the most clear. I don't even know if the guy has a clue about what he wants." Aros said as he folded his arms. "So, let's just take some time off, go do our own thing, whatever we want. What do you say?"

"Wouldn't Master Luxu get angry with us?" She asked, her voice full of concern.

"Maybe, but…" He sighed. "There has to be _more _to life than just being someone else's slave, you know? If there are that many worlds out there, then that's just a whole other galaxy of life experiences. Come on, Kaguya! At least give it a try!" He encouraged.

Kaguya breathed out heavily. "But, Master...he…"

"I'll take the blame. Luxu will have to go through _me _to get to you. I'll keep you safe, that's my promise." Aros swore in a firm tone.

Kaguya thought for a moment. She _was _on a mission, but the more the idea settled in her mind, the more she liked it. One day wouldn't hurt, right? Besides, it's not like Luxu would find out, right? For all he knew, they could still be going to different worlds looking for Kairi. With encouragement from Aros, she nodded in response.

"What world are we gonna see first?" Kaguya asked with a smile.

Aros laughed. "Whatever you want. Ladies' choice."

"Well…" Kaguya thought for a moment, really hard, and failed to come with something. Instead, she ended up laughing. "There's so many choices."

"Then we'll start with someplace I _know _you'll like." He said with a confident nod.

Aros held out his hand and helped Kaguya up, their touch lingering for a moment before she let go. He held out his Keyblade and opened a portal to their first destination. Kaguya followed at first, a fluttering feeling lingering in her stomach. It made her want to smile. Her smiling also made her want to do...something else.

"Aros? One more thing." Kaguya asked as she stopped in her tracks.

"Yeah?" Aros turned around and faced her.

"I just...want to show you something."

Kaguya held her head up high and rested her hand against where her jaw began. Beneath her hand, the bottom portion of her helmet faded away, revealing a soft jawline that belonged to a young pale face. Her lips that had the shade of a dark pink rose curled into soft smile, one that was engraved in Aros' memory. It was unlike anything he had ever seen, not because he hadn't seen anyone else smile before, because he had. It was because it belonged to _her_. For the first time, Aros finally got to see the effect he had on Kaguya. It was an effect that he liked, and if he could be honest, he wanted to keep it that way. He gently reached out and brushed his fingertips along Kaguya's jawline, stopping at her small chin.

"Yeah, just as I thought." Aros said tenderly. "Beautiful."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Back at the headquarters, Luxu watched as digital projections of Aros and Kaguya interacted with each other in what could only be described as a 'wholesome' manner. This wasn't what Luxu had intended for them to do, just sit around and socialize like it was an after-school club. Yet, at the same time, he wasn't surprised. He had to expect that there would be some connection between the two, but went ahead with denying it out of sheer frustration that this was setting him back.

"Huh...figures…" Luxu mumbled.

Instead, Luxu moved onto Plan B. From across the room, Ira, Invi, Aced, and Gula all emerged, having sensed their summoning from him. Once they realized Luxu was the one who called them back, Gula sat on the round table and got comfortable. He knew this would be a while. Luxu always had a lot to say.

"You rang?" Ira asked.

"Good, got here quick enough."

"You have news for us, Luxu?" Invi inquired.

Gula folded his arms. "That didn't take long."

"News? More like a situation." Luxu scoffed.

"Let me take a wild guess. It's those kids that you sent out to do your dirty work?" Aced mused, pointed a finger at Luxu.

"Kids? As if. I would hardly call them that. They're barely human."

"Whatever they are, they seem to be causing problems if you had to summon us." Ira noted as he stood by Luxu.

Luxu chuckled. "There are much bigger problems right now. They're just making it worse."

Invi gasped softly, stepping forward. "Problems? With what?"

"If you're talking about darkness, I'm pretty sure it's been a problem for a while now." Gula added in with a shrug.

"No, the darkness is not the problem." Luxu groaned. "It never _was _the problem. You know what the problem is? Take a look inside each of your books. I know you still have them, the Master entrusted these to you like they were your own newborn children. Take them out, and look at the end of your books."

As Luxu requested, each foreteller took out their copy of the Book of Prophecies and looked toward the last few pages, the ones that spoke of the Keyblade War and how light would expire and darkness would reign supreme. It was just as how the Master of Masters wrote it many years ago and it was unchanged. It only confused them even more why Luxu was asking them to look at their books again.

"It says what it has always said." Ira pointed out. "On that fated land, light will expire."

"Bingo! Now, do you see anything in there about some punk kid reversing the clock and taking a little fork in the road to change fate?"

"What…?" Aced groaned.

"Exactly! You see my point?"

"Wait...so if somebody rewrote the future...then that means…" Ira muttered. "Nobody knows what the fate of the world is."

"Doesn't that give anyone hope for it? As in, is it possible that maybe the light _won't _expire." Invi suggested. "That's what we _want_, right?"

Luxu chuckled. "Not possible."

"How do you know?" Gula relapsed. "You don't even have a copy of the book. And now, none of us know what lies in the future. How can any of us prepare?"

Ira frowned, holding his head low. "Gula is right. How would any of us know?"

"Because...soon enough, the Master will figure out that someone disrupted the cycle. He won't tolerate someone going against his word or his teachings." Luxu walked closer to Gula, staring dead into his mask's eyes. "Isn't that right, Gula?"

"N-no…" He muttered softly, turning his face away.

"It won't be long." Luxu moved toward the window and stared out toward the sky. "Soon enough, the Master _will _return, to fix the cycle."

Invi shook her head. "How can we fix it without creating a time paradox?"

Luxu sighed heavily before walking back toward the table. He held up his hand and summoned more digital holograms. This time, it was one of Kairi. She was walking with Namine and Xion trailing in formation right behind them. She happened to be carrying her Keyblade at the precise moment, giving everyone a good idea of who she was and what exactly she was capable of.

"This girl look familiar?" Luxu asked.

"Hmm…" Gula studied her. "Red hair...she has a Keyblade...is _she _one of the seven pure lights, a Princess of Heart?"

Ira nodded as he opened the book. "I remember that...here. It says here: 'Seven pure lights, created from seven of the twenty pieces that the X-blade shattered into, protected in the hearts of seven young women, shall assist in retaining the balance of light and darkness in this world, the Princesses of Heart. Six of the seven will pass their lights once their role has reached its end. The seventh light, one belonging to a Keyblade wielder, and the one that will remain with its keeper, may only pass once the princess bears a daughter in the next generation.'"

"She looks like…" Invi muttered, cutting herself off.

"Forget who she looks like. What does she have to do with fixing the cycle?" Aced grumbled as he folded his arms.

"Hang on, I'm gettin' there." Luxu sighed before bringing up the next hologram. It just so happened to be Sora, standing right next to Kairi. "Recognize this kid?" He waited for them to answer, but nobody said anything. "This is our guy. His name is Sora. He's the one who decided to mess up the Master's timeline." Luxu started pacing back and forth. "Here's the deal. It's because of Kairi here that Sora was able to rewrite the past and begin a new future. They have a shared light that has formed from their bond. At this rate, he isn't a problem. He's off in 'nowheresville'...for now. But, if _she _gets to him, our job is gonna be a heck of a lot harder than it needs to be."

"Job?" All four of them asked in unison.

"Don't worry about it right now." He waved them off. "Right now, the focus is on _her. _She knows too much. If she saves Sora, both of them will do what it takes to prevent the Master's prophecy from coming true. The only way to prevent that, is to keep 'em separated. How do we keep 'em separated? Well...that's where my little 'assistants' were supposed to come in handy." Luxu brought up the holograms of Aros and Kaguya.

"What was their role exactly?" Ira asked as he studied them.

"They're the key to tarnishing that light...by weakening _hers_."

The Foretellers all shared concerned looks with each other. The idea of intruding something as significant as the seven pure lights was never something that would ever cross either of their minds. They weren't even sure if it would even cross the Master of Masters' mind, considering he wrote about them and how important they were to retaining the balance in the world. Luxu snickered as he stepped away and toward the outdoor balcony. Despite Ira, Invi, Gula, and Aced all not feeling right about Luxu's plan, Invi was the one who had mustered enough courage to say something about it.

"Wait! Luxu!" Invi ran forward. "The Princesses of Heart, their light is precious and pure, and it contains great power if they discover it. You can't take that from them…"

Luxu scoffed, patting Invi on the back. "As if! Have you forgotten already? The pure lights always get passed on, no matter what happens. All we gotta do, is get rid of that light, and she's no longer a problem!"

Ira stepped forward, sighing. "I'm not sure I like this, Luxu. The Master specifically stated that the princesses were to be protected at all cost."

"Who said anything about _harming _her?" Luxu sneered. "I've got it all handled."

"It's too bad you don't have your assistants handled." Aced remarked.

"At this point, let 'em do what they want. The more they goof off, the more power I have over them. They got nowhere else to go anyway. They might as well be as worthless as old man Xehanort's replica dolls."

"What about the girl that was with you?" Gula asked.

"Oh her?" Luxu chuckled. "You just wait. She's a one of a kind special weapon. Gotta wait for the opportune moment to strike with her. In the meantime...Invi, I've got a special assignment for you."

"Uh…yes." Invi answered, albeit taken back at first.

"Keep an eye on the princess and her friends. Report anything unusual, and keep tabs on her location." He demanded as he summoned a dark passage in front of him.

"What about the rest of us?" Gula asked.

"Just keep doing what you're doing. If we're gonna summon the Master back, we can't do it alone."

"And you?" Aced pried.

"Don't worry about me. I've got my own agenda." Luxu chuckled.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Upon arriving back at Radiant Garden, Riku and Mickey noticed the central square in town had changed significantly in the last week since they had been there. It was bursting with color, yet the streets remained quiet. However, the streets were busy with various vendors setting up their stands. Riku did recall that Leon and Yuffie had mentioned there was a festival happening. He was amused by the stage that was being set up that was similar to the one used for Struggle tournaments in Twilight Town. In his memory, Roxas was one of the best Struggle competitors, but couldn't help but grow curious over who was competing in Radiant Garden's tournament and how they stacked up against Roxas.

"The town's looking great!" Mickey complimented.

"What's the occasion?" Riku asked.

Yuffie pulled out flag and held it up. "It's the one year anniversary since we finished the restoration of Radiant Garden!"

"Actually, the one year anniversary was months ago…" Leon prodded in.

"Well, we would've had the festival months ago, but we were a _little _busy." She remarked while rolling her eyes and folding her arms.

"Were? I'd say we still are." Riku mused with a chuckle.

"You're telling me, kid!" A middle-aged blonde man came from around the corner carrying a crate of gummi blocks.

"Cid!" Riku and Mickey both greeted him in unison.

"Yeah, he _finally _came back." Yuffie snickered.

Cid growled. "Hey! Those gummi ship blueprints are not an easy time! They take hard work, testing, and a lot of tweaking! And that's why I'm opening up shop here at the ship."

"You're actually gonna market the idea of travelling to other worlds?" Riku asked with a chuckle. "Whatever happened to the 'world order'?"

"You kiddin' me? That 'world border' thing died a couple years back when Sora decided to go world hoppin' to find you and Kairi. Then again, gotta admit, thanks to that kid, I'm rolling in dough thanks to the amount of munny his majesty here spends on materials and blueprints for his gummi garage." Cid jested, referring to Mickey.

Aerith came over to the group, holding a basket of flowers. "Did you guys find anything new?"

Mickey nodded while folding his arms. "Yep, that's actually why we're here."

"The guy we're searching for, his name is Luxu. Sound familiar?" Riku asked.

Leon folded his arms, shaking his head. "Never heard of him." He looked over at Cid, who was busy opening up the crate.

"Don't look at me! I only know what these three and the computers tell me." Cid shook his head.

"I know you couldn't find anything from looking up Sora's data, but maybe you can find something about Luxu?" Riku suggested.

"I suppose I can give the ol' Moogle a search."

Cid went into Merlin's house, signaling for everyone to follow him. He booted up the computer and started his data search. Unfortunately, there was nothing new other than what Cid had already dug up when he began his initial search for Sora.

"Guess we'd better stick to our original plan and head straight for the library." Mickey suggested.

"The library? What for?" Aerith asked.

"Master Yen Sid thinks it's possible that Xehanort might have known something about Luxu, if he has similar intentions. We're gonna go search through his secret reports." Riku answered before turning and beginning to walk away.

"Hold it there!" Yuffie ran ahead in front of them. "You might need something, a combination, if you will."

"What?"

"Ansem had us hide both his and Xehanort's research in a special containment that requires a passcode to access it." Aerith giggled mischievously.

Mickey bounced on the balls of his feet at the shared information. "You wouldn't happen to know that passcode, would you?"

"Well, your highness, it's your lucky day!" Yuffie pumped a fist in the air. "Allow me!" She got close to both Mickey and Riku's ears and whispered it.

"Okay, we got it." Riku nodded affirmatively. "Let's go, Mickey."

Upon arriving at the library in the palace, Riku felt an unsettling chill travel through his body. He remembered a couple years back when Maleficent gave him a room to stay in during his search for Kairi, not one of his proudest moments, considering he wasn't even successful in saving her. Riku remembered the room that was nothing more than just a small bed, but a couple of shelves that were loaded with books. It was a pathetic amount compared to the large shelves the library contained. He looked around, trying to decide which aisle to start at.

"Where do you think Ansem hid the reports?" Riku asked with a sigh. "This library is huge."

Mickey hummed while scratching the back of his head. "Gosh. I was hoping for some kind of clue, but it still looks as untouched as it was the last time I was here."

"Riku? Your majesty?" Ven waved from afar.

"Ven, what are you doing here?" Riku asked as he and Mickey walked closer to him.

"Kairi mentioned you two were going to try and find out more about Luxu. I figured I'd lend a hand, especially since the name...it's...kinda sounding familiar to me…"

"Familiar?" Both of them asked in unison.

"Wait, you _know _a Luxu?" Riku asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

Ven sighed, holding his head low. "I'm...not sure. The name sounds familiar...but I can't match a face to that name."

"And all Kairi has seen of him is a black coat, just like Organization XIII." Mickey tapped his foot.

"I was thinking about it...what if Luxu has some connection to my past?" Ven asked, resting a hand under his chin.

"You don't remember anything from your past, do you?" Riku asked, Ven shaking his head in response. "Well, we may find out sooner than later then, but we need to figure out where Ansem had everyone hide the reports. I strongly doubt he's gonna give us the location. If he hid them away, it was for a reason. Let's split up."

The trio split up, each of them tackling a different aisle and shelf. They checked every nook and cranny on the shelves. Mickey checked the children's books, Riku checked autobiographical and horror shelves, Ven checked the young adult shelves, nothing. They checked the different shelves of encyclopedias and they still didn't find anything. Wherever this hiding place was Ansem made it the most difficult. Riku could tell that he didn't want _anyone _looking at his and Xehanort's research, only for their curiosity to peak and cause trouble.

Finally, the guys decided to think out of the box. Where would they _not _find a stash of reports? Mickey started browsing for a secret switch, similar to the one Kairi triggered to open the secret lab. Riku started looking behind the book shelves, and Ven started look underneath the furniture. Much to his surprise, upon climbing on the floor and underneath a long table, Ven found something. They looked like tiny switches with numbers on them. He remembered Riku and Mickey mentioning they needed a password to find the reports and his immediate first response upon seeing the numbers was that was the numbered lock.

"Found it!" Ven said as he crawled out from under the table. "It's like _way _down here."

Riku chuckled as he came over and ducked under the table. "I should've guessed. It would be in a place nobody would think to look." He rolled over until he was on his back, sitting up toward the bottom of the table, the tips of his fingers adjusting the numbers on the lock. "Okay...zero, nine….zero, seven...nine...seven…" He murmured as he successfully unlocked the compartment under the table. "Not a very creative passcode."

"Did you find anything, Riku?" Mickey asked as he waited patiently.

"Yep." Riku carefully pulled out a box and crawled back out, laying the box on top of the table. Inside were files upon files of documents, both handwritten and typed. They were all organized chronologically and by who they were by. Riku pulled out Xehanort's files and started filing through them.

"That's an awful lot of research." Ven mentioned as he rested his hands behind his head.

"No kidding. I don't even know where to start." Riku sighed heavily.

"Well, Ven believes it's possible that Luxu is someone from his past. If Xehanort had anything to do with Luxu, it would probably be either before or at the same time he met Ven." Mickey pulled out the first document from Xehanort's file. "Let's just start from the beginning and see what we find."

Each of the reports was just as Riku and Mickey expected, it was Xehanort chronicling his life and experiences as a Keyblade master. They read through, one detal that kept on catching their eye was Xehanort mentioning a specific Keyblade master, one that could see the future. Riku thought back to what Yen Sid had spoken to them about recently. He remembered what he had noted about The Foretellers and the union leaders. Although it wasn't much information, Riku couldn't help but wonder if Xehanort was referring to one of them when mentioned "the master" in his reports. It was either them or it was one more than Yen Sid mentioned.

"Mickey, Ven, do you think it's possible that this 'master' that Xehanort is speaking about is The Master of Masters?" Riku thought out loud.

"Whoa!" Mickey gasped.

Riku set down the report he was reading immediately. "What is it?"

"Did you find something?" Ven eagerly asked.

Mickey slowly set the report down and looked at both boys in the eyes. "Riku...Ven...you're not gonna believe what I just found…"

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Once they departed from Zootopia, Kairi immediately set course for the next world on their radar. Lucky for them, it wasn't terribly far, which hopefully meant it was going to be a smooth and easy ride. For the most part, it really was. Thanks to Judy, Kairi was able to download a ton of good music onto her gummi phone, which she plugged into the ship's stereo and blasted it, giving the girls some really nice musical stimulation during the long ride. Chirithy was back to drinking his favorite cappuccino and Namine sketched. This time, she worked on a sketch of her, Kairi, Xion, and Chirithy all together. She was quite proud of it. In fact, her art skills had improved immensely in the past year.

"Hey, what should we listen to next?" Kairi asked as she munched on a carrot.

"That Face my Fears song was great. I could listen to that one all day!" Xion laughed.

Namine folded her hands together. "What about Don't Think Twice?"

"Can we not? It's too painful." Chirithy asked as he sipped his coffee. "I have a better idea. Let's listen to someone else."

"I can't help it, Chirithy." Kairi said with a shrug. She finally turned off the music for his sake.

Xion sighed and looked out the window. "You know, it really is too bad about what happened back in Zootopia?"

"You mean about us going savage?" Namine asked.

"Yeah. I mean, if you think about it, it all feels like a dream, so I don't even know whether to believe it was real or not."

"Kairi showed you the scar you gave her. It was definitely real." Chirithy noted as he pointed to Kairi's face.

"She's...kinda right." Namine nodded. "It was like, we had no idea what was happening. Maybe...it has something to do subconscious." She hypothesized, thinking deeply. "Our greatest fears lie deep within there. Usually if they try to consume us, it's done without any sort of actual awareness. That's the cause of nightmares, mostly."

Kairi thought back to that moment after she had defeated Jack with Nick and Judy. She remembered how it felt she had lost complete control of herself. It was almost as if ice had just shot throughout her entire body and she had this insatiable desire to see Aros suffer for what he had done to Nick. Kairi always had her moments growing up when she got angry at something or someone, but this was something else. This wasn't normal by-the-books anger that someone could brush off and bounce back from later. Even her determination to take down Xemnas back in the Keyblade Graveyard or her anger toward Luxu couldn't match up.

_Then why did it feel real to me? _

_**I found it strange that Xion and Namine passed it off like it was just a nightmare. It also felt the same way, but also, it felt more cold, painful, and like the world was rushing before my eyes. Is that what Riku felt like when he fell to darkness? **_

_If that's true...then maybe...I'm not as immune to darkness as I think I am..._

"But you know what," Xion said, snapping Kairi out of her trance. "If Zootopia has made me realize anything, it's that I'm looking forward to going back home again and having a normal life." She stretched out her arms and rested them behind her head.

Kairi nodded in agreement. "Yeah, it'll be nice. Come to think of it, since we returned home, I didn't really do much back home aside from school. I missed out on a lot."

"Maybe, but you had a valid reason to. You were hurting _a lot_." Namine said with a sigh. "But, once we've saved Sora, you both can go back to having a normal life together."

"Just be sure to steer clear. Those two are gonna be _mushy_." Chirithy teased while rolling his eyes, causing Kairi to blush. "But...I'd be lying if I said you two weren't cute together."

"I'd like that, but something tells me that we might have even bigger fish to fry after this."

"You talking about Luxu?" Xion asked. "Well, we've defeated Xehanort and his entire troop, what's one more?"

"You say that, but there's always been a catch." Kairi sighed as she turned her seat. "He knows something…and he won't give it up without a fight."

"Maybe, but the three of us together will have nothing to worry about." Namine encouraged.

As the ship travelled in along Misty Stream and grew closer to their next destination, the temperature started to slowly but surely drop. The earthy meteors were now starting to look like ice glaciers. Kairi was careful not to collide with any of them. Having seen a movie when she was younger about a cruise ship that sunk after hitting a glacier that scared her into going out on boats for a short period of time, she was extra cautious. The last thing they needed was being stuck on the next world with a damaged ship, especially if it was gonna be one where the weather was really cold like Xion and Namine were thinking of.

"Mmmm, we should turn on the heater, it's starting to get chilly." Kairi shivered.

"We must be getting close to our next destination." Namine noted as she studied the radar.

Turning on the heater, the ship began to warm up, but that wasn't all. Kairi looked ahead and noticed a large Heartless ship blocking their path even though she could clearly see the next world. This ship had an interesting design to it, per-se and looked like a giant snowflake, but it was anything but beautiful. It immediately put up its cannons and began shooting at the Falcon. Kairi quickly shifted controls and dodged the ammunition, but not without taking a little damage. This ship wasn't going to be easy to take down.

"Hmmm….trying to get in our way, I see." Kairi growled.

"Ladies, you know your stations!" Xion encouraged as she jumped onto the cannons.

Namine jumped onto the lasers and kept an eye out while Kairi flew around, dodging the Heartless fire and also applying the shields. Unfortunately, the chill in the atmosphere was making it harder for everything to work, so a lot of the Falcon's lasers and cannon fire was delayed, as well as Kairi's shields. While she and Xion were getting frustrated, Namine noticed there was an opening in the middle, taking into consideration that the snowflake design of the ship meant there was a hollow core.

"Kairi! Fly to the middle! I have an idea!" Namine ordered out.

As Kairi started flying toward the middle, Namine switched places with Xion and got ready to drop an explosive on the ship as they passed on through. The trick was that Kairi had to be ready to blast ahead and have the shield on at the same time, otherwise the ship would get damaged and they could get hurt. Xion had her hand ready on the shield while Kairi got the ship ready to switch into turbo mode. Namine counted down as she lowered the explosive on the ship, aiming it carefully. Just as they flew over it, Xion put on the shield, Kairi flicked on the turbo boost, and Namine dropped the explosive.

The explosive detonated and took down the Heartless ship completely while the ship safely flew out of the aftermath and toward the stratosphere from their destination. Kairi exchanged high fives with Namine and Xion and was especially proud of Namine. She had come such a long way since they first began their journey and Kairi couldn't have been happier to have her travelling alongside her.

"Okay, you ready, ladies?" Kairi asked as she broke the stratosphere.

Xion and Namine both nodded, buckling up. Kairi fought against the stratosphere hard, the cold air really making it more difficult, and based on the windchill from from below, she could tell that this world they were travelling to was also going to be quite the chill. However, Sora was counting on them, and Kairi wasn't going to let a little cold bother her.

* * *

**A/N: Yes, the combination lock in the library was a reference to FF7 because the remake is out next month and I am SO HYPED! Now, to go play the demo they just released! See ya'll next time!**


	39. The Early Winter

**A/N: So, apparently the links to my social media don't work? Ugh...well, I'm working on them right now, so if they're not fixed by the time you finish reading this, try again a bit later. Until then, enjoy the new chapter!**

Chapter 39: The Early Winter

The darkened clouds hovered over Kairi as she led Naminé and Xion through a massive forest. Their feets crunched the red and gold autumn leaves that were buried under sheets of snow or sprinkled ever so slightly with a sparkling frost. Despite how beautiful it looked with the warm colors of the leaves contrasting against the white of the snow, the bitter cold temperature that nipped at each girl's skin was not. Naminé and Xion were used to these temperatures during the winter, so despite the chill, it was manageable. Kairi, on the other hand, being an islander, didn't fare any better than when Sora had visited this world. In fact, she fared worse, not having the same natural body heat that he would radiate whenever she was feeling chilly during their wintertime temperatures of only sixty degrees.

If the cold wasn't enough to stop Kairi and the girls in their tracks, then the lack of any sort of path had them scratching their heads. Normally, the trio has been generally lucky with their ship transporting them either to a decently populated area or town, or in an open area that gave them some sense of direction to civilization. This time around, they were completely on their own to try and decide where to go. The fact that the it was getting close to the later hours, indicated by the lavender hue in the sky, didn't help either. Neither of them had flashlights, something Kairi always regretted not bringing, so all they could rely on is lighting a branch with a Fire spell until it burns out, should it get to that point.

"Huh, where did the ship place us?" Naminé asked as she looked around the area.

"In the middle of a forest?" Xion asked while shrugging her shoulders.

Kairi sighed. "That's a problem. There doesn't seem to be any road or path that could lead us anywhere." She took out her phone to check her seashell tracker. "And the seashell appears to be not far from us...and it's...moving…?"

"Did your seashell sprout legs suddenly and walk away?" Xion asked as she put her hands on her hips.

Naminé shook her head. "Doubt it. Can't think of anything that is capable of doing that."

"Well, it's getting late anyway." Kairi said as she looked up at the darkening sky. The wind suddenly blasted past her, causing her to shiver and wrap her arms around herself. "And it's chilly too…I could use a coat or a blanket or something. Oh, who am I kidding? I'm freezing! Let's make a campfire or something!" She started bouncing up and down, hoping it would warm her up.

Xion kicked the leaves around momentarily. "Maybe we should just focus on getting to the nearest village. We've got plenty of munny to stay at an inn or something and then we can search for the seashell tomorrow."

"Yeah, good idea." Kairi nodded. "Let's get going before it gets dark."

Despite how miserable she was from the cold, Kairi figured it was smarter to just try and find a warm, indoor place to stay as opposed to risking catching pneumonia from sleeping out in the cold by a campfire overnight. At least jogging through the woods helped circulate everyone's blood more, helping to warm up their bodies a lot better. Even though Kairi wanted to try and find her seashell while it was close by, she knew they'd be screwed if they stayed out until it was completely dark trying to searching for it, only for them not to find it. The trio agreed to find someplace to stay and then they could search for the shell in the morning.

Upon traveling further into the woods, a new sound echoed with the calm wind. The girls stopped in their tracks and listened closely. It was definitely a voice, a voice that belonged to a young man, but had the tone of an innocent child. Xion, having experience with navigating the woods thanks to living in Twilight Town, suggested to Kairi and Naminé that they follow the voice, hoping this could mean they're either close to a town or a campsite. As they followed the voice, it got louder and more clear. They could even hear the pitter and patter of soft footsteps, almost like toddler footsteps.

It took them a moment to realize that the voice belonged to what could only be a live snowman. Kairi softly gasped as she looked ahead and saw the snowman skipping back and forth between two piles of autumn leaves, his round feet leaving prints in the snow that rested on top of the leaves. Xion and Naminé looked at each other with their eyes wide. How was this snowman talking and walking? He didn't look like a Heartless. In fact, his innocent expression was anything but. In a moment of irony, his presence was rather...warm. He gave off the immediate best friend vibe, but that didn't stop the girls from questioning the logic or magic behind this.

"Oh wow! There's a big one too!" The snowman exclaimed as he picked up a large leaf and threw it into a pile. He noticed another leaf in that same pile and picked it up. "Aww, you're just a little guy!" He cooed. "Here, you can go here!" He said as he tossed it into a second pile. "Wow, I know Anna and Elsa are just gonna LOVE these!" He suddenly turned around and noticed the girls. "Hi there!"

Kairi screamed and accidentally kicked the snowman's head into Xion's arms. "Oh my gosh!"

"Hey there!" He greeted Xion.

"Okay, this is creeping me out." Xion said as she tossed the head to Naminé.

The snowman gasped as he saw Naminé's face. "You look just like Elsa!"

"Uh...okay, here, we'd better put your head back on your body." Naminé said as she placed the head right back on. "There! Better?"

"Oh, much! I was starting to feel light-headed for a second there." He said with a chuckle. "Sooo, why are you three all staring at me? Do I have something on my face?"

"Well...other than the carrot-" Kairi started to say.

"Aaaah! I have a carrot on my face! Get it off! Get it off! Get it off!" He began scurrying about.

Kairi sighed as she caught the snowman in place. "No! I'm talking about _your nose_!" She softly tapped it.

"Oh! Thank goodness!" He sighed of relief. "Now, new friends, let me start over. Hi, I'm Olaf and I like warm hugs!"

"Olaf! Nice to meet you! I'm Kairi!"

Olaf gasped as he touched the tips of Kairi's hair. "Oh my gosh! You have red hair! I love red hair. It reminds me of summer and I just love summer!"

Naminé giggled as she began poking Olaf close to his armpit, causing him to laugh. "You're so cute! My name is Naminé."

"And then I'm Xion. And...I like ice cream!"

"You like ice cream?" Olaf twiddled his twiggy fingers. "I love ice cream too, especially when it's all soft and warm and melty!"

"And me and Kairi, we love ice cream too." Naminé rubbed her hands together.

"We like the same thing? We should be friends!" Olaf giggled.

"You know, I've always wanted to meet a snowman." Xion said with a smile as she pulled off one of Olaf's coal buttons.

"Ahhhh! Not the buttons! Not my belly buttons!" Olaf cried out before Xion immediately put it back on his belly. "Oh! Much better!" He sighed. "Now that we all know each other-wait, hold on a second. Why do you three all have the exact same face? Are you triplets?"

"Uh, not exactly, but...it's a long story." Kairi answered while brushing hair behind her ear.

"Oh good! I love stories!"

Xion rolled her eyes and folded her arms. "Yeah, but this one is _really _long, and we don't have time to tell it right now."

Olaf's smile faded as Xion and Naminé started walking past him. "But...but...why? You're not leaving now, are you?"

"We need to, Olaf." Naminé said softly.

"Yeah. We're...not exactly from around here, and we need to hurry to the nearest village or town and find a place to stay for the night before it gets too dark and cold out." Kairi explained while kneeling down to his level.

"Oh! Hey, I know a place to stay!" Olaf jumped up and down.

"You do?" All three girls asked in unison.

"Sure! It's the most wonderful place in the whole world!" He began prancing through the woods and in a different direction. "Come on! Let's go!"

"Great! Let's go, girls!" Kairi encouraged.

Xion ran forward and grabbed her by the wrist. "Hold on, Kairi. Are you sure we should be following him?"

"Why wouldn't we?"

"He's a _talking _snowman. How would he know a place to stay? Besides, he could always be luring us into a trap." Xion expressed her concern.

Chirithy popped out of Kairi's hood, shaking his head. "I'm more worried about him getting us more lost…"

Naminé shook her head. "Look at how sweet he is. He's just an innocent little guy, I'm sure."

"Yeah, come on, Xion." Kairi urged her.

Olaf stopped in his tracks and waved toward the girls. "Come on, girls! I'm not getting any older!"

Xion rolled her eyes before shaking her head. "Alright, but if we end up being fed to an _abominable _snowman, Kairi's going first."

Unfortunately, Olaf was way too fast for the girls and they lost track of him. Kairi inwardly groaned, trying her best not to blame Xion for a solid minute due to her suspicion being the cause of Olaf getting ahead of them. Fortunately, he came running back to them. The downside, was that he was screaming in distress. That could only mean one thing. Olaf ran past the girls and hid behind a tree, only for Kairi to crouch at the sight of Soldier and Marine Rumba Heartless spawning around them.

"Heartless!" Kairi summoned her Keyblade. "Guess these things like to follow us everywhere."

"Considering we have Keyblades, I'm not surprised." Xion said with an eyeroll.

With a small turnout of Heartless, Kairi and Xion both began fighting with the Soldiers while Naminé tackled the Marine Rumbas. Her Thundara spells made mince meat out of them, the voltage of the electricity holding them in place. This allowed Kairi to bounce between Heartless and help finish any Marine Rumbas that were within reach of her Keyblade. Unfortunately, her overconfidence left her wide open behind and a Soldier kicked her right in the back. She managed to bounce off the impact of the kick and swiped with much force, knocking out the Soldier.

Xion began zipping around, hitting multiple Heartless in a row, and knocking them up in the air. The levitating enemies gave Kairi the chance to also zip across, utilizing her Seven Wishes ability, and finishing off the Soldiers. While this first round of Heartless was taken out without any problem, a herd of Winterhorn Heartless as well as a group of Gold Beats decided to show up and give the girls a hard time. Kairi decided to handle the golden magical Heartless this time around while Naminé helped Xion go after the Winterhorns. She leapt and twirled around the Gold Beats, unleashing Watera spells that followed her around a stream before the constricting spells burst, weakening the electric-based Heartless.

Naminé began shooting Fira spells at the Winterhorns while Xion tossed her blazing Keyblade around, hoping that Fire Raid would be a big help in taking the Heartless out. While they were, there was a Winterhorn behind her that she missed. The Heartless charged at Xion with its antlers, sending her flying forward, only for another to do the exact same thing, knocking her back to the first one. It was like a game of volleyball as Xion was tossed around before finally landing on the ground unconscious. Kairi helped rid the two particular Winterhorns by finishing the last of them off with Fira spells while Naminé hurried over and cast Cure on Xion.

"You okay, Xion?" Kairi asked as she helped her up.

Xion nodded before shaking her head. "Yeah, just a little brain freeze."

"Time for a little cool down!" Naminé said in a confident tone. She looked over to the tree where Olaf was hiding behind. "Olaf? You can come out now. The Heartless are gone now."

Olaf breathed a sigh of relief. "Good! Those shadow things are never very nice, but I can always count on you and your fancy keys!" He giggled while hugging Kairi's legs.

"Well, they're gone for now." Kairi muttered while looking around. "But…I'm sure they're elsewhere too."

Xion stepped forward. "Do you think maybe they made it to town?"

"Hopefully not. Hopefully they leave the townsfolk alone. Then again, that's wishful thinking."

"Then we'd better hurry before the Heartless hurt anyone else…" Naminé suggested as a shiver ran through her body. "And before we freeze our bun buns out here."

"Yeah, Olaf, can you continue to show us the way?" Kairi asked.

Olaf bounced up before he began prancing in the direction of town. "One road trip, coming right up!"

Just like Olaf had promised, there was a down that was a few miles out of the woods. Once the girls got out of the woods and into the fjord, it was an easy trek. Well, it was almost easy. The snow was really soft, resulting in Naminé losing her balance and slipping onto her bottom while they started down the hill toward the town. She slid down a bit, giving Kairi and Xion an idea. Xion used her Keyblade to cut a piece of a log that was large enough to fit all three of them and Olaf, and off they slid down the hill, making the rest of the trip a breeze, literally. It was definitely dark at this point and everyone was freezing and ready to get inside.

The town was rather charming in its size and architecture, creating a sort of intimate feel in the streets. The lamps were on, giving the evening moths a perfect meeting spot, but also giving the town just enough light to see where Kairi and the girls were going over a short distance. There were local shops, bakeries, and plenty of vendor carts that had already closed up for the night. They would've liked to have seen the town in greater detail, especially Kairi, who couldn't help but make comparisons between this town and the one in Radiant Garden, having that same fairytale vibe, especially with the tall castle at the end of the town with its stone walls and aquamarine colored spires and rooftops. There was even a large snowflake at the tallest point.

"Wow, this is a nice little town." Naminé said as she turned around, getting a good look.

Kairi nodded. "Yeah, kinda reminds me of Radiant Garden a bit, except there's no technology around, at least as far as I can see."

"I think I see the inn right there!" Xion pointed out a large two-story building that had a lot of rooms.

Olaf nodded as he skipped past the inn. "Oh, that's a nice inn! Nice and warm and cozy!"

Xion nodded as she put her hands on her hips. "Well, looks like Olaf was spot on."

"Thank you for helping us, Olaf!" Kairi bent down and thanked him.

"Wait, where you going?" He asked.

"To stay at the inn?" Naminé answered, confused.

"Oh, you silly girls!" Olaf laughed. "That's not here I'm taking you! _That _is where we're going!" He pointed his twiggy arm at the large palace, causing each of the girls' jaws to drop.

If Kairi was ever going to start doubting Olaf, this would be the point. She remembered back to the last time they visited a palace. It ended with the three of them being tossed out. Then again, Razoul wasn't exactly the friendliest person they met in Agrabah, and he was the only one they had trouble with. Naminé made the argument that they tried sneaking in last time while this time, they were being invited in. Olaf was a snowman though, not a prince. What sort of authority did he have over who did or didn't enter the palace?

At this point, with the wind picking up and snowflakes starting to fall, Kairi decided to just roll along with whatever Olaf was doing. She didn't just want to get inside, she _needed _to. Her arms, legs, and face were starting to grow numb and lose their color. Naminé and Xion were also starting to suffer more from the cold now than they did earlier in the day. Once they stepped into the Great Hall of the palace, they were greeted with pure warmth, not just in temperature, but by the colors and designs of the carpets, tapestries, and curtains.

"Wow...this place is beautiful…" Kairi marveled at the decor.

Xion nodded. "Yeah, but now I have an even bigger question." She looked down at Olaf, who was still completely intact. "How are you not melting, Olaf? It's warm in here!"

"I know! Doesn't it feel wonderful?" Olaf asked with a sigh.

"Yeah, but shouldn't you be melting since you're made of snow?"

"Nope! That's just silly. Everyone knows permafrost can't melt." He chuckled.

"Permafrost?" Naminé repeated. "It sounds like some type of magic spell."

Olaf nodded. "Elsa made me my own permafrost so I will never melt! Now, come on, new friends! Let's go meet my best friends!" He said before prancing down the hall and toward the parlor, leaving the girls shrugging their shoulders at who these 'best friends' were. "Anna! Guess who I found out in the woods?" Olaf popped into the parlor.

Anna, a chestnut hair-colored girl of about 19-20 years old and all bundled in her dress and cloak, came to the doorway to answer. "What is it, Olaf?" She poked her head out, perking up as she saw Kairi, Naminé, and Xion. "Hello?"

"Uh...hi!" Kairi greeted sheepishly. "Hope we're not intruding, but if we are, we can leave."

"Oh no, you're not intruding. I was just waiting for a couple people to return back to the castle. They've been gone a while and I'm getting worried."

"Oh, sorry about that. We're not exactly from around here and Olaf found us in the woods." Xion apologized.

Naminé nodded as she ran a hand up and down her arm. "We needed a place to stay for the night and he guided us into town. We were going to stay at the inn, but Olaf insisted staying here."

"If you don't mind the company, we can wait here with you until your friends come back." Kairi suggested.

"Well, you three seem really nice. I'm sorry you got lost. The forest outside of Arendelle isn't exactly _clear _with its directions to the kingdom." Anna laughed sheepishly. "You three have got to be freezing in those outfits though."

"Yeah, it was a little chilly outside." Xion laughed.

Anna went around and rested her hands on Kairi and Naminé's backs. "You three can come up to my room and borrow some of my winter dresses for the time being."

Much to the relief of all three girls, but especially Kairi, the normal clothes consisting of summer dresses, crop tops, skirts, and shorts, came off as soon as Anna gave them free roam in her closet of casual dresses. There were so many different styles and colors for different seasons and occasions. Cooler colors and darker tones for winter, warmer colors and earthy tones for autumn, brighter tones for spring, and summer was all over the place. However, each of them gravitated toward the winter dresses. The multiple layers and soft fabric were so comforting against their cold skin that started to slowly warm up as they completed their dressing.

Kairi wasn't used to wearing dresses with longer skirts or longer sleeves, but it felt like a nice change during the harsh winter temperatures. Naminé was normally simple when it came to her wardrobe, sticking to simple white summer dresses, but got a kick out of the different shades of blue throughout the dress she chose. Xion didn't have any experience wearing dresses really and found it oddly satisfying to twirl the green skirt of her dress around. It almost made her feel more...like a girl? As someone who lived with three other guys, and only had one other girl friend in Twilight Town, she appreciated it.

"Wow, these are so cute!" Kairi twirled in her dress.

Naminé nodded as she giggled while looking at herself in the mirror. "I love it and it's so comfortable!"

"Yeah, it kinda makes me miss wearing skirts back home." Xion smiled and nodded as she held out the skirt of her dress.

"I'm glad!" Anna smiled widely. "You three all look great!" She checked the clock as it struck the top of the hour. "Well, supper should be ready in the kitchen. I hope all three of you are hungry!"

"We sure are!" Kairi answered as her stomach rumbled. "Thank you...uh...I'm sorry, I didn't get your name."

Anna's eyes darted back and forth when she realized she loaned her clothes to three girls that she didn't even know the names of. "Oh wow, this is awkward, I'm sorry! My name is Anna, Princess of Arendelle."

"Princess?" All three of them in unison before bowing.

"Oh, no need to grovel! I see you've already met Olaf. What are your names?"

"I'm Kairi, and this is Naminé, and Xion, of...someplace far away from here!"

"Well, if that's the case, you three have definitely worked up an appetite. We've got chef's famous beef stew with hot chocolate." Anna said with a nod.

"Sounds delicious!" Naminé said with a sigh.

"It also sounds like a great time for a cup of coffee…" Chirithy said with a sigh as he popped out and flopped onto the ground. "I'm cold and tired…"

"Awww, you brought a kitty with you?" Anna cooed as she knelt down to Chirithy's level.

Kairi laughed as she helped Chirithy up. "Kind of. This is Chirithy."

"He's got a bit of a coffee problem. Just a small one." Xion said sarcastically.

"I don't have a problem!" Chirithy argued.

Olaf gasped as he reached out toward him. "Oh! I wanna pet the kitty!"

Chirithy's eyes widened before he started trying to get away. "Whoa! Hold on there, buddy! I'm not that kind of cat! This isn't what it looks…" He stopped as he felt Olaf scratched the back of his head. "Oh...ohhhhhh….I like that…" He sighed. "Fine, I'll make an exception for you. Can you get my right shoulder blade?"

Xion rolled her eyes. "Oh brother…like he isn't pampered enough."

All teasing of Chirithy aside, the flavorful scent of the stew was calling everyone's name. Kairi found it quite funny that neither of them ever really kept track of their appetite unless they were at rest somewhere. That being said, if the girls were offered free food, they weren't about to turn it down. Xion had become quite a food enthusiast thanks to living not far from Le Bistro and was always looking forward to trying new unique recipes, and the stew that was served in Arendelle's palace that night was no exception. The beef, the vegetables, the spices, it was all fantastic. Kairi and Naminé also dove right in, but they were more concerned about filling their starving bellies as opposed to analyzing it like Xion did.

"You know, it's been quite nice having some company over. The last several days have been awfully quiet here in Arendelle." Anna said as she dabbed her lips with a napkin. Kairi tilted her head, curious to hear more. "We've had a recent illness breakout in the town as well as the early winter snow. It's killing the crops and animals, making it really difficult for our harvesters."

"Mysterious illness?" Kairi repeated. She exchanged a concerned look with Naminé and Xion before huddling them close. "Do you think the Heartless have anything to do with this?"

"It depends. Maybe we should ask Anna if she's seen any around." Naminé whispered.

Xion nodded. "If she has, then it looks like we've got a job to do around here."

"Right." Kairi agreed. "Anna? Are you familiar with these shadow creatures called 'The Heartless'?" She asked.

Anna's eyebrows furrowed. "Y-Yes. We saw them quite a few times about a year and a half ago, back when Arendelle was under a deep winter spell."

"Yep, but our oddly spikey friend beat 'em with his fancy key!" Olaf said in a perky tone.

"Oddly spikey?" Xion repeated.

"Fancy key?" Naminé murmured.

Kairi gasped as the two descriptions came together. "Wait! Anna, do you know a boy named Sora?"

"I know Sora too?" Anna asked, all three girls nodding in response. "It's a long story, but he was a big help to us."

Kairi simply smiled. It definitely sounded like him, always offering a helping hand to a friend, whether old or new. She wondered if Anna knew about his disappearance. Aladdin, Jasmine, and their friends had no idea of what had happened. Thankfully, over the past month, Kairi had garnered enough strength to accept what had happened and was able to share it with mutual friends without any hesitation.

"If you know Sora, does that mean you know he's missing?" Kairi asked softly.

Anna nodded. "Donald and Goofy paid us a visit here over the summer, asking if we had seen anything in regards to him. Unfortunately, we haven't. We went and asked the trolls to see if they knew anything, but all they could say was wherever Sora was, it was beyond what they could see." She folded her hands together. "Are you three searching for Sora?"

"Yeah. We have a clue that we've been following, but we're also looking out for anything that could lead us to him faster." Xion explained.

"Well, let me know if there's anything I can do to help you three. I want to help Sora too, if I can."

Naminé smiled. "Thanks. We'd like to help you too. We're wondering if it's possible that the Heartless are responsible for the disease that's in your kingdom?"

"I'm not sure. We haven't seen any Heartless in town since the disease broke out." Anna answered while shaking her head. "But, while my sister is out investigating, I thought I'd help her out and maybe try to look for answers." She darted her head back and forth, making sure none of the other attendants were close by. "It's kind of secret, but I'll take you back up to my room and show you what I found!"

On one of the highest floors in the palace were the royal chambers, including Anna and her sister's rooms. They included a lot of space, making Kairi's bedroom at home look like a closet in comparison. Anna took the girls back up to her room and shut the door behind them, almost as if she were worried about anyone else hearing them. Hidden up on a high shelf in Anna's closet was a large book. She reached up and grabbed it, bringing it out and showing it to the girls. It didn't really appear to be anything special to them. It was a dark-colored cover and had some foreign writing on it that Kairi couldn't read for the life of her, so neither Naminé or Xion fared any better with knowing what this book was supposed to mean.

"A book?" Xion mused.

"It's not just a book! It's Secrets of the Magic Makers!" Anna bounced up and down before sitting on her bed.

"Sounds neat! Never heard of it. What's it about?" Kairi commented before joining her on the bed.

"This book contains old tales, histories, and shares information about all kinds of mythical creatures that only exist in lore." Anna answered while flipping through the pages. "Now, this might sound crazy, but this also is like a field guide! There's recipes in here, like how to turn a flower into a frog!"

Naminé chuckled in amusement. "Wow, I could use a book like this."

"Who's this guy?" Xion asked as she pointed to an illustration in the book. The blonde-bearded man who stood firmly in front of a waterfall intrigued the girls. He held a sword in the ground with the sun shining brightly in each corner and a dragon off to the side to complete the illustration. "He looks official."

"Oh! That's an illustration based on the Saga of Aren. It's a poem that shares a legend of how Aren was a legendary hero that carved the fjord of this kingdom."

"Whoa!" All three girls gasped.

"With the Revolute, his sword with a yellow diamond, bright as an eye…" An unknown voice quoted.

Kairi's head popped up at the sound of the voice. She gasped while Naminé and Xion's jaws hanging slightly. A young woman of such regal presence strolled in as casual as a queen could while retaining her professionalism. The girls scrambled off the bed and bowed their heads, paying respect to her. While she appreciated the gesture, the queen could only giggle. She never was one to hold herself to such high regard, nor did she go around demanding respect like an authoritarian figure. After thanking Kairi and the girls, she turned her attention over to her sister, whose face seemed to light up.

"Elsa! You're back!" Anna hopped up from the bed.

Elsa smiled and nodded. "Yes, and I see we have some company."

"I'm Kairi, and this is Xion and Naminé. Sorry for dropping in like this. We're not from around here and needed a place to stay, so Olaf brought us here. We can go stay at the inn if you like." She rambled on, her nervousness obvious.

"It's alright. Welcome to our castle. It's a good thing you came when you did. We used to keep the gates completely closed to any outsiders."

"How come?" Naminé asked.

"Because of this…"

Elsa held out her hand, leaving everyone but Anna curious. From her palm, a small flurry of sparkling snowflakes flew floated out and around. Kairi gasped, marveling as Elsa directed the flurry to float around her before circling Naminé, who could only laugh. Xion followed the snow up until it flew close to her face, one of the tiny flakes nipping her on her nose. It was definitely real snow. Continuing to show off her powers, Elsa took the flurry and turned it into a small snowball, only for it to burst, releasing sparkles all around Anna's room. It was one of the most beautiful sights any of the girls had ever seen.

"_You _can use ice magic!" Kairi gasped. "You're a magic maker! Just like in the book!"

Elsa's smile faded and her eyebrows furrowed. "What book?"

"Eh…" Anna laughed sheepishly. "While you were out, I might have tried doing a little research to see if I can figure out how to get rid of the disease and came across this book, Secrets of the Magic Makers!"

"The Blight, the disease is called the Blight. And where did you find that book?"

"Olaf and I might have discovered a little secret chamber in your room." Anna twiddled her fingers while bouncing off her toes. "There were all of these books, but this was the one that caught my attention the most! It could have the answers we need! It could help us cure the Blight!"

Kairi placed a hand on Anna's shoulder. "Wait, do you think there's something in there that could help us find Sora?"

"There might be! There's a spell in here that can grant your dreams! Magic can be really powerful when used to its full potential, right Elsa?" Anna asked in an affectionate tone.

Elsa sighed and smiled. Whatever tension had built up inside of her subsided for the time being. "You'd be right, Anna." She looked to Kairi and walked closer to her. "You're searching for Sora too?" She asked, Kairi nodding in response. "I'm sorry. I wish I could do more to help. He was a friend to me when I needed one the most, even if I didn't know it then."

"That sounds just like him." Kairi laughed. "But, don't be so hard on yourself. You're a queen. You have a whole kingdom to look after. I can't imagine what that's like."

"There's a lot, but I'm honored to carry on my father's lineage and his kingdom."

Xion leaned toward Naminé and whispered, "She's so cool!"

Elsa looked toward Anna and rested her hand on the book. "Anna, I appreciate you putting forth the effort, but I need you to put this away and leave the book alone."

"What? But Els-"

"I need you to let _me _handle this."

"Elsa, you don't understand, this book could have the answers we're looking for! A cure for the animals!" Anna argued.

"Anna, that room was left secret for a reason, and I suggest you do the same with that book." Elsa began to walk past the girls and out of Anna's room. "It was nice meeting you three, but I have to go."

Anna, with her expression slowly but surely fading, watched as her older sister shut the door behind her with a little more force than she had hoped for, indicating her frustration with this whole situation. Kairi didn't understand Elsa's logic. Then again, how could she? She knew all too well from Anna's side, always wanting to help, but constantly being told to 'stay out of it' for reasons that nobody ever wanted to give. Looking back, she knew that whenever Sora and Riku wanted her to stay on the island, it was to protect her, no thanks to her (then) lack of experience with a Keyblade, but didn't stop her from feeling frustrated and left out too. It also didn't help her confidence. How could she have confidence in herself if they didn't? If she felt frustrated with her two best friends, she could only imagine what Anna felt like, being brushed off by her sister.

"I don't get it." Anna said softly. "It's like she doesn't need me anymore now that she's a queen. Am I really that worthless?"

Kairi shook her head. "No! Of course not!" She sighed, holding her head low. "I...I know how that feels, trust me. For the longest time, I felt like I couldn't help Sora because I wasn't strong enough, and I didn't think he believed in me either."

"That's how I feel! All I want to do his help my sister, be a part of her life. We were locked away from each other for so long."

"Well, you were able to save your sister once before. I'm sure Elsa knows your worth. She might just be stressed out about the whole Blight situation." Kairi suggested.

Naminé nodded. "Maybe try talking to her in the morning when she's well rested?"

"We'll even go with you, try to give you some extra support." Xion said as she curled her hand into a fist.

Anna smiled. "Thanks, girls." She let out a loud yawn, indicating her own exhaustion. "Actually that does sound like a really good idea."

"Okay, let's rest, girls. We'll regroup in the morning." Kairi said as she clasped her hands together.

The original plans for the morning were for Kairi and the girls to return back to the woods to see if they could track down her seashell, considering it was rather close to them when they were there the previous evening. However, with all that went down the night before between Anna and Elsa, the trio agreed that Anna could use friendly support right now. After a hearty breakfast, which took place without Elsa, leaving Anna to assume that she had already left earlier that morning to begin her royal duties. According to Anna, ever since the Blight broke out among Arendelle, Elsa had been visiting the locals more and more, hoping to calm their anxieties, especially those whose animals and crops were affected by the Blight.

As the morning hours grew on, the commotion in the palace grew. Suddenly, there were many voices echoing through the massive halls. It sparked Kairi and Anna's curiosity, leading them to checking it out. The voices were coming from the Great Hall, and upon arrival, Anna spotted her sister, perched professionally on a raised platform with a massive crowd gathered in front of her. Elsa had to have called a gathering of the town's locals to make it easier on herself to counsel and address any concerns regarding the Blight.

"Hey, what's going on here?" Xion asked.

"My sister, a crowd's gathering around her. I think this has to do with the Blight." Anna answered quietly.

"Winter is already here and we don't have enough food to last us the week!" One grumbling villager yelled out.

"Everyone! Our royal ship is loaded with rations of food, apples, wheat, dried vegetables, cheeses, cans of pickled herring, and sausages. There is more than enough to go around if necessary." Elsa announced.

"How does that solve our Blight problem? My cattle are falling one by one!" A farmer called out.

Elsa sighed, trying to stay calm. "We are trying to work that out. We are looking into finding out _what _is causing the problem and from there, we can figure out _how _to fix it."

"Working it out won't solve anything! As the queen, it is your responsibility to give us answers!" Another villager yelled.

Kairi could by Elsa's breathing that she was starting to get anxious, but was fighting to conceal it and not show it. Her first instinct was the help her out, but without knowing all the details of the situation, and recounting the trouble she had gotten into in previous worlds after getting involved with personal matters, she stood back. The fact that Anna, with a firm scowl on her face, looked about ready to rip these locals apart for what she would consider disrespecting her sister, also influenced her decision. Besides, Anna was Elsa's sister and the princess of this kingdom. If anyone had any right to stick up to these distressed villagers and for Elsa, it was Anna. She finally shoved her way through people and ran up onto the same raised platform as Elsa.

"Hey! Don't talk to my sister that way!" Anna yelled.

"Anna…" Elsa muttered firmly under her breath.

"Look, my sister is doing her absolute best, and it might seem like she doesn't have the answers...but thanks to _this_," She held up the Magic Makers book for everyone to see. "Everything is going to be solved really soon. Within this book is countless amounts of stories, recipes, and spells. Surely, there is something in here that will cure the animals and can rid Arendelle of the Blight."

"Anna!" Elsa called in a firm tone. She turned back to the crowd, keeping her chin up in as much of a professional manner as possible. "You'll have to excuse my sister."

"Uh...Elsa?" Kairi called out, getting her attention. "I don't mean to interrupt, but I think we might have a bigger problem than Anna interrupting."

The crowd all turned their heads and gasped at the sight of various Heartless spawning right within the hall. Elsa ordered everyone to leave the hall and outside for their own safety. Kairi drew her Keyblade with Naminé and Xion taking stance right beside her. Feeling confident in her own abilities thanks to her having encountered the Heartless before, Elsa decided to jump into the battle with Kairi, despite Kairi's concerns about whether the queen should be fighting the Heartless. Elsa insisted that she'd be okay, but there was one in particular that she knew needed to take cover.

"Anna! Take cover!" Elsa demanded.

"But Elsa…"

Kairi looked back at Anna with utmost confidence. "Don't worry, we've got this!"

Anna nodded, obeying bother sister and her friends' orders and ran into the parlor, shutting the doors behind her and hoping the Heartless wouldn't follow her there. Kairi and Elsa nodded as each other before rushing into battle. This time, not only did the girls have Winterhorns and Gold Beats to be concerned about, but now there were Parasol Beauty Heartless to deal with. They weren't enemies to be taken lightly. They liked to spin around while lunging toward the girls and shot a plentiful amount of laser attacks in various directions. Kairi found herself dodging or guarding most of them before striking back with her counter attacks. If Elsa wasn't using her ice powers to do massive damage to the Heartless, she was creating walls of ice in front of her and her party to block the laser attacks from the Parasol Beauties.

Naminé worked on dwindling the Gold Beats down with her Blizzara spells before moving onto casting Fira onto the Winterhorns. Xion came in to help take down the Winterhorns, trying out a new ability that she had recently learned. She engulfed herself in flames and lunged toward the ice-based Heartless, sending them straight to their fiery doom. Kairi was impressed with Xion's new technique and congratulated her briefly before turning her attention to the Gold Beats and finishing them off with Watera spells. Elsa found herself in holding her own in battle, but came to a tough spot when she wiped out a Parasol Beauty with an ice attack, only for another one to spawn behind her and nail her in the back with a powerful laser before knocking her unconscious thanks to another harsh spin attack.

Kairi hurried over to Elsa and cast Cure on her before focusing in on the Heartless, ready to use her special Seven Wishes technique on them. She leapt up and began zipping back and forth between each Heartless, doing massive damage to them before Elsa had the perfect way to finish them off. Once Kairi was out of harm's way, Elsa stomped on the ground, causing the floor beneath her to freeze up with sharp icicles erecting from the ground and giving the Heartless an ice cold finish. Once the last of the Heartless finished off, Elsa took a moment to catch her breath. She wasn't used to using her powers in this way. Even so, she was glad to be able to help her new friends out with protecting the palace.

"Is it safe?" Anna asked, peering from around the corner.

"Yep! All taken care of!" Kairi answered.

"No, this is _not _all taken care of." Elsa said in a low tone.

Naminé stepped forward, running a hand along her arm. "We're really sorry, Elsa. We just wanted to protect your people."

"No, that's not what I'm talking about."

Anna reached out and placed a hand on Elsa's shoulder. "Elsa, the villagers were tearing you apart. I couldn't just leave you out there all by yourself, not when we have the answers right here."

Elsa groaned. "Anna, when will you learn? Magic isn't always the answer to your problems!"

"But what if it _is _this time?" Anna pulled out the loose piece of paper in the book that had the spell about granting dreams on it. "It's like I said last night, there is a spell in here that grants your dreams! We can use it to cure the Blight and it might help Kairi find Sora! Don't you want to help your friends?"

"I do." Elsa sighed, her tone reflecting her conflicting views. She would love to just simply help everyone, but with her title, that wasn't always easy. "But as the queen, I have to put Arendelle's matters before personal matters. If you want to help Kairi find Sora, then I won't stop you, but I need to be _here _while my people _need _me."

"Would you listen to yourself? You're shutting me out just like you used to! Why can't you just listen to me and let me help you?" Anna yelled, her eyes filling with tears.

"Anna, you just gave our people false hope and because I'm the queen, I have to take on the burden. So, do me a favor, and just stay out of this matter from now on. And that's an order."

Kairi watched awkwardly as Elsa stormed out of the palace and into the town where her people were waiting for her to continue on her current duties. Anna also stormed out of the hall, but further into the palace, leaving Kairi, Naminé, and Xion alone. If there was normally a point where Kairi would want to interfere and try to fix the situation, this would be the time. Even if it was a personal matter, this was something that could be easily fixed if the girls were willing to communicate with each other. Would it be meddling if she tried to get the two of them to talk it out and fix this?

"You know, I may not be the right person to suggest this, but maybe we should stick around for a bit longer?" Xion broke the silence.

Kairi nodded. "I think you're right. I don't want to go against Elsa, but I do think she's being a little unfair. Then again, I wonder if she's just trying to protect Anna because of what happened before."

"Maybe, but now they have the Heartless to worry about." Naminé noted.

"That too. Besides, I wanna see what this spell is really about. If it really can grant someone's dreams, who's to say it won't work on mine?" Kairi asked.

"Well, in the meantime, I think Anna and Elsa both need time to cool off. Let's go check the village and see if there are any Heartless around." Xion suggested as she began walking out of the Great Hall.

Much of the day was spent on Heartless patrol. The trio checked around the houses, the alleys, the shops, and the farms. Shockingly, there weren't any Heartless other than the swarm they had encountered earlier that morning. Kairi even decided to try and see if she could track down her seashell. It seemed that her shell had moved, but couldn't make out where it was now. She sighed, rubbing her head. Something told her it was going to be a massive headache trying to track down this shell. Naminé suggested that they try and help Anna and Elsa's situation first, otherwise tackling too much would only overwhelm the trio. Kairi and Xion agreed. Besides, they could always see if Anna and Elsa knew or had seen anything in regards to Kairi's seashell once their mind wasn't full clouded with this whole Blight situation.

As the day grew late, and the sun set on another day in Arendelle, Kairi, Naminé, and Xion returned to the palace. Neither of them had any idea how either Anna or Elsa were holding up, having not seen any of them all day since their fight in the morning. Kairi was starting to worry about Anna thought. She at least had an idea that Elsa was simply keeping busy, while there was a chance Anna was still upset over what happened earlier. Kairi had a feeling in her gut that Anna had locked herself up and wanted to check on her.

With the other two behind her, Kairi traversed up to the royal chambers and peeked into Anna's room, which was open a crack. She stood silently, staring out the large window that overlooked Arendelle. In her reflection, Kairi could see the sadness in her eyes. She knew that same sadness, feeling like someone you care about was trying to shut you out. Even if it was for good intentions, it didn't hurt any less. The trio stepped in quietly and joined Anna by the window, hoping that good company would brighten up her spirits a bit.

"Anna, are you okay?" Naminé asked.

Anna nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine. There's just been a lot happening for both of us. That, and...I'm also worried about Kristoff."

"Kristoff?" All three girls asked in unison.

"My boyfriend." Anna said with a slight giggle.

Xion snickered as she folded her arms. "I knew it."

"What's going on with Kristoff? You said he was out visiting some trolls, right?" Kairi asked.

"Yeah, but he still hasn't returned. He's visited the trolls before and it usually doesn't take that long to travel, especially with his reindeer, Sven."

"Do you think maybe the Heartless gave him any trouble on his way back?" Xion whispered to the other girls. "We did run into some in the woods with Olaf."

Kairi's eyes widened. "I hope not, but let's not bring that up with Anna just yet." She whispered back. "You know, Anna," She brought her tone back to normal. "It _is _getting dark out. It's possible Kristoff maybe took a wrong turn and is running late."

"I don't know. Kristoff knows his way around quite well, being a mountain man and all." Anna shook her head. "Maybe I'm just overthinking everything."

"Not necessarily." Xion shrugged her shoulders. "I worry whenever Axel tries to fix an electric or plumbing problem."

"I'm sure Kristoff his fine. He's hiked mountains before. Maybe, I should just go apologize to my sister."

"Yeah, good idea. We'll wait here, give you two some time alone to talk." Kairi said as she took a seat on Anna's bed.

Leaving her friends waiting, Anna hurried down the hall and over to Elsa's room. Upon reaching it, she expected to hear silence or Elsa talking to herself, which she did every now and then, especially when she was stressed. Instead, she heard voices on the other side of the door. She even recognized the voices. They belonged to Kai and Gerda, two of Anna and Elsa's most trusted stewards in the palace. Anna couldn't make out exactly what they were saying, but it was enough to know that Elsa was having a meeting without her. She slowly stepped away from the door, her throat feeling like her heart had risen up and lodged in it. The last time she felt this pain was when she was younger, when Elsa was shutting her out of her life, and now, she seemed to be doing it again.

If anything that solidified Anna's doubts, it was this moment. She knew it. There used to be a time when Elsa would invite Anna to every meeting, hear everything she had to say, and seek her advice, but now, it seemed like Elsa had no need for her. With her eyes flooding with tears, Anna took off running back to her room where Kairi was lying down on Anna's bed, Xion was looking through one of Anna's books on mythology, reading about creatures such as trolls, garmrs, and ratatoskrs. Her favorites were the valkyries, the bird people that fought with such brutal strength. Naminé was sitting on the windowsill, sketching the landscape outside, taking advantage of the great view. Anna burst through the doors, interrupting the girls' peace and stirring up much concern once she fell to her knees, on the verge of crying.

"Anna? Anna, what happened?" Kairi asked as she got down to Anna's level..

"If Elsa isn't going to listen to me, then I'll just find out for myself." Anna said as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

Kairi watched as Anna hopped up from her feet and reached for the Magic Makers book from her dresser. She went back to sit with Kairi as she frantically flipped through the pages. As Kairi watched, she knew in her gut that Anna was set on something big, something having to do with magic. As Naminé and Xion joined them, Anna slowed down and finally set on a page that had a slip of paper in it. Written on it was DREAM COMES TRUE SPELL, just like she mentioned the night before when Kairi asked if anything in the book could help her find Sora. As she took the paper out and held it close, Naminé's gut started to feel like someone was piercing it. Xion and Kairi had to have felt the same way because all three of them shared a look of concern with each other before Naminé finally said something.

"Anna, wait! Something about this doesn't feel right." Naminé held her hand on top of Anna's.

Xion nodded. "Yeah, are you sure you want to do this without Elsa?"

"All she does is shut me out nowadays, so why should I bother trying to listen to her?" Anna argued back. She looked over at Kairi, who had the same uncertainty on her face. "Kairi, this could help you find Sora." Anna urged her.

Naturally, Kairi was caught in a bind. Should she risk it? There were numerous times in her journey already where she tried to take shortcuts and it led her to trouble. Then again, it was during those times where she was usually by herself and not with her friends, therefore, thinking for herself. Kairi did have that suspicious pit in her stomach, and yet, the fact that Elsa could also use magic, did give her better hope that maybe this spell could solve _everything_. There was nothing Kairi wanted more than anything right now than to find Sora, take him home with Riku, and live a happy life together, just like they used to. The idea was having more merit than she would've liked.

"If it means finding Sora and bringing him home sooner…" Kairi said as she gripped the paper. "Then let's do it."

Xion and Naminé sighed, hoping that Kairi knew what she was doing this time around. They decided to sit back, giving themselves some distance from her and Anna, not sure what was about to occur. Together, Anna and Kairi gripped the paper and gave each other a nod of approval before reading the spell out together:

"Wild awake!

Wind and snow!

Plant the seed

And watch it grow!

Say this spell,

And you shall see

All your dreams

Come to be!"

As the spell was read, a draft started up within the room. The more Kairi and Anna read, the stronger it got. Xion and Naminé both looked around, having no idea what beheld them beyond the page of this spell.

**A/N: So to answer everyone's question, no, I am not basing Arendelle in this fic off of Frozen 2's storyline. I was originally going to, but between the film still being on the newer side and the film taking place a few years after Frozen 1 (which happens during KH3, a year prior), I decided not to go in that direction. Not to mention, I AM seriously considering a sequel to this fic and have been jotting down plot ideas and MAY wanna use Frozen 2 for my sequel. Soooo yeah.**

**That being said, I am actually basing this world's plot on a canon novel that takes place between Frozen 1 and 2 called **_**Forest of Shadows.**_** I read through the whole novel and thought the plotline suited the fic, so I figured I'd go in that direction. If you guys haven't read the novel, I definitely recommend you do so later on! It's a good read! Anywho, hope you guys enjoyed the first Arendelle chapter and will see you guys soon with the next one!**


	40. The Dread of Night

**A/N: Oy, this chapter is looooooooooong. Also, work is cancelled for me for two weeks, which means more updates coming sooner than later!**

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Chapter 40: The Dread of Night

Upon Kairi and Anna reading the spell, the wind had picked up within the palace. It felt like something was stirring and just waiting to spawn before their very eyes. Xion and Naminé huddled together while Kairi and Anna's eyes scanned the room for anything. However, the wind seemed to die down. Much to their relief, but also their dismay, it seemed like nothing had happened. The two of them read the spell, leaving both girls to question whether reading the spell actually worked or not. Everything seemed untouched. Even the temperature in the room didn't feel any different despite the chilly wind blowing right through.

"Did it work?" Xion asked, looking around.

Kairi sighed as she sat all the way down and crossed her legs. "I'm not sure. It looks like nothing's changed. Anna?"

"I...I don't know. I don't even really know exactly what this spell was supposed to do or how it would happen. It's just supposed to grant your dreams." Anna answered, a sense of uncertainty in her tone. "Maybe it just takes time?"

"I could be wrong, but I thought magic spells were supposed to be instant?" Naminé assumed.

Xion folded her arms and leaned against the wall. "What exactly were you trying to do with that spell anyway?"

"I thought I could cure the Blight...but, I guess...more than anything, I just want my sister back…" Anna said in a low tone.

Kairi bit down on her lip before scooting closer to Anna. "Well, maybe Elsa will come back a little later and everything will work out."

"I hope so. I guess we'll wait here for Elsa and see if it worked."

Agreeing to wait for Elsa, Xion and Naminé got comfortable as well as Kairi and Anna. If they could be honest, nobody knew what to expect now. It was almost unsettling, especially with the painful pit that formed in Kairi and Anna's stomachs. It didn't help that once they heard the voices of Kai and Gerda on the other side, indicating that Elsa's counsel meeting was finished, there was no knock on Anna's door. This meant Elsa hadn't come to Anna's door yet. Xion wondered if they were waiting for nothing, but Anna insisted giving them more time.

This 'extra' time didn't mean much, for shortly after, Anna started to feel really drowsy and sleepy, almost to the point where she couldn't make it to the bed before falling asleep. Kairi followed suit, also growing really tired and falling asleep right on the floor. Xion and Naminé found it quite strange, but went along with it. Xion went back to her reading of mythological creatures. There was another creature that caught her eyes, the Huldrefolk. They were creatures that hid in the shadows and were had a way of finding lost things and keeping them for themselves. They reminded her of Heartless a bit, minus the heart stealing. Naminé went back to working on her sketch, taking advantage of the evening lighting.

Although it seemed like a normal sleep, Anna was in for a sleep that anything but normal. Within her dreams, she found herself deep in the woods outside of Arendelle, not a single bit of light shining through the towering trees. Elsa was nowhere to be found, which only stressed Anna out further. She called out Elsa's name numerous times until she could hear her sister calling back to her, albeit from a far distance. Following the voice, Anna sprinted through the woods, knocking any branches or bushes that go in her way. The stabbing pit in her gut told her Elsa was in trouble and nothing was going to stop her from helping her sister.

As she arrived into the fjord, Anna looked ahead and saw Elsa staring ahead, her back to Anna. She called out the queen's name before running across the field toward her. As she got closer, Elsa turned around, her face blank with a lack of emotion. Anna couldn't help but stop in her tracks as she saw her sister engulfed in dark matter, gasping as she saw Elsa collapse down right in front of her. As Anna ran forward, she could feel the burning pain of the darkness against her hand. She stepped back, grunting as the burn felt like it was popping against her skin. It was just enough room for the darkness to expand, another figure appearing right in the center of it all.

It was _him_.

He was just as Anna remembered him. He was tall, criminally handsome, but cold, underneath all of the charm. He wore the same sinister grin when he revealed his true intentions to Anna as she nearly entrusted her fate in his hands. There he was, standing next to Elsa, his foot pinning her unconscious body to the ground. Anna froze up in place as she watched the man engulf himself in darkness once again, this time, the darkness forming into a wolf-like creature with beading yellow eyes. It's dark violet, black, and teal colored body looked just like it always had whenever she had dreams like this before, but now, it felt real. Anna's body shook as the wolf ducked its head close to Elsa. She felt conflicted whether to try and stop the creature or if she would provoke it to kill Elsa.

Anna's conflict became too much for her. She screamed and ran forward, only for the wolf to lash out and knock her back. The wolf hovered over Elsa and howled before the dark matter that surrounded her, began to swallow her. Anna desperately scrambled up from the ground and reach out for her sister, only for the two to be separated. No amount of shouting each other's names would be enough to unite the sisters this time. Elsa had fallen to the darkness, and Anna was left without any options.

"Elsa!" Anna's eyes flew open as she shot herself back up from her sleep.

"Anna? You okay?" Naminé asked as she hurried over to her.

Anna nodded, catching her breath. "Yeah. Just a nightmare, it looks like."

"Well, Kairi seems sound asleep still." Xion chuckled as she looked over at the passed out redhead, who definitely seemed off as indicated by the dark energy that was forming around her.

Chirithy, feeling the energy, popped out, his face full of distress. "No she isn't! She's having a nightmare! At this point, if she doesn't wake up, Kairi may be swallowed by the darkness in the dream!" He said while shaking her.

Naminé gasped as she scrambled over to Kairi and began to shake her body. "Wake up, Kairi! Wake up!"

"Come on, Kairi!" Xion joined in with Anna and Naminé.

Kairi could hear her friends calling for her, but it wasn't enough to wake her up. Instead, she was still trapped in the nightmare she was having. It was her and Sora together, trapped in what appeared to be endless oblivion based on the pitch darkness the lack of any life source. There were floating in midair, with what appeared to be a transparent barrier between each other. They could see each other, but they couldn't feel or even hear each other. No matter how many times Sora and Kairi called each other's names, their voices couldn't soothe the anxieties that burst through each of them.

Sora finally started banging against the barrier, trying to get to Kairi as she fell backwards. Her eyes started to grow heavy, as they drifted shut, and her body went limp, almost as if her entire body had given up and was ready to accept the fate that beheld her. The further she fell through the darkness, the colder it felt and the more pain she was in. It almost felt like it started inside of her and worked its way out, attacking every part of her body. Yet, Kairi didn't fight back, she let the pain consume her.

Until, she finally heard _his _voice.

Even if she couldn't hear it before, Kairi finally heard Sora's voice. Hearing the distress in his call, she finally began to fight back, struggling against the nothingness that was the darkness. She could also hear her friends calling her name again. Only this time, Kairi was fighting to not only escape the darkness, but to finally wake up from this nightmare.

"Sora!" Kairi yelled as she shot up from her slumber. She continued to breathe heavily, her head searching around the room frantically. "Where's Sora? Is he here?"

Xion shook her head. "No, and Elsa hasn't come back either."

"Sounds like you were having a crazy dream." Naminé chuckled.

"She WAS having a crazy dream!" Chirithy said while shaking his head.

"Chirithy? You could see my dream?" Kairi asked as she rubbed her head.

"Yeah, and with the state your heart has been in, you have to be cautious with nightmares." He warned her. "Especially now that you've read that magic spell."

Xion groaned. "Why didn't you warn her?"

"Because I knew in her heart that nobody could stop her." Chirithy looked deeply into Kairi's eyes. "Kairi is someone who follows her heart. It's a blessing and a curse all at the same time."

Anna stood up and began looking around her room. "So, what exactly did the spell do? Nothing has changed."

"I'm not sure myself. All of this magic is beyond me." He said with a sigh. "But Kairi and Anna both having nightmares after this is a little uncanny for my taste."

"Maybe it just didn't work." Kairi said with a shrug.

"You might be right." Anna nodded. "Well, since we're all up, how about some hot chocolate? It'll help us fall right back to sleep."

"Sure!" The girls all nodded.

Chirithy perched onto Kairi's shoulder. "Coffee for me."

Keeping cautious, Anna led the other girls out of her room and through the royal chambers. Everything still seemed normal even outside of the bedroom. Kairi even had her Keyblade ready in case any Heartless showed up. Lucky for them, all seemed right, but the palace still seemed unsettlingly quiet. Anna almost wished Olaf would just come prancing out, yapping about nothing whatsoever just to calm her nerves down. Instead, she just assumed everyone was sleeping. Naminé and Xion followed close behind her, with Kairi bringing up the rear.

As she followed, Kairi couldn't help but stop in her tracks as she felt a certain presence behind her. She took a look back, not saying a word about it to the other girls in an attempt to not stir any worry with them. Especially since there was nothing there. Kairi grew suspicious, knowing that not everything was as it seems. She began to step in the opposite direction, only for Xion to call her attention away. Figuring that ignoring her wouldn't be the best idea, Kairi decided to leave it for now. She could always look more into it if it happened again.

The sweet smell of chocolate filled the room as Anna began starting on the wonderful concoction of warm milk and freshly ground cocoa. It could've easily been the only thing the girls could think about had Kairi and Anna not had their nightmares. If each of them could be honest, Chirithy's warning had them worried. Would this happen again if Kairi and Anna fell asleep again? Was this a result of them reading out the spell? Chirithy did mention they had to be careful when it came to having nightmares now they read the spell. It also didn't help that they suddenly heard strong footsteps from the hall outside the kitchen.

"What was that?" Kairi asked, hopping up from her seat.

Anna looked up from the hot chocolate, almost as if the hairs on the back of her neck were sticking up like a cat. "Kristoff?"

Was it Kristoff? It was possible that he arrived late from his visit with the trolls. The only problem with that speculation was that footsteps were definitely too big for a human, even for a stronger mountain man like Kristoff. Anna and Kairi looked at each other, the same look of suspicion spread across their faces, before stepping out of the kitchen and into the portrait gallery. The hot chocolate would have to wait.

"Kristoff, is that you?" Anna asked as she stepped forward.

Kairi placed her hand on her shoulder, keeping close behind. "Be careful."

Anna smiled and nodded, appreciating Kairi looking out for her. She listened closely, keeping her friends close behind her. The sound of the foot steps echoed from out of the portrait gallery, now sounding like they were coming from the royal hall. If the footsteps belonged to Kristoff, they were some really big feet. Anna held her candle forward, following what little light she got from it. The girls found themselves in the royal hall when there was nothing in the portrait gallery. Now, it sounded like the footsteps were coming from the Great Hall, only confusing the girls more.

Upon stepping into the Great Hall, Anna stopped and held her candle as high as she could. The light shed onto the polished wooden floor, revealing nothing out of the ordinary. That didn't stop Kairi from urging them to move forward. She didn't hear the foot steps leave the hall, which meant someone, or _something_, was still in there with them. Anna swallowed the lump in her throat that formed when her friends started pressing her onward toward the darkness. As Anna reached the other side of the room, she scanned the room with her candle, feeling a presence more than ever. Then, she saw it…

A pair of yellow eyes.

Anna had stopped breathing, recognizing the yellow eyes. She held the candle up and stepped back as the creature that the yellow eyes belonged to stepped forward, the low light slowly revealing this creature's full form. It was unlike anything even Kairi had seen. It had glowing yellow eyes like a Heartless, but it's body that resembled that of a werewolf and had a contrasting color scheme of dark violet, teal, and green with maybe a little red here and there. She summoned her Keyblade as she saw that Anna had frozen in place. She felt like her heart had stopped. She recognized all of it, the eyes, the growls, and its physical shape. It was the same creature from her nightmare...only this time...Anna was awake.

The wolf creature growled and snarled before lunging toward the fear-stricken princess. Kairi, with her Keyblade already summoned, rushed between the two and blocked the wolf. She grunted from the impact, but pushed back nonetheless, even with the wolf's jaw clenched around the Keyblade. Kairi was actually surprised that her weapon didn't snap in half with how strong its bite was. She was finally able to garner enough strength to push it back, if only for a moment.

"Anna! Go! Go make sure Elsa's okay!" Kairi demanded as Xion and Naminé joined her, ready to fight. She growled as she eyed the monster. "This Heartless...it doesn't look like the others…"

"Well, looking at it won't take it down faster." Xion said with a scoff.

Anna backed away, but still couldn't bring herself to run. It was almost as if she was hypnotized by the reality that she was seeing this monster while she was awake. Instead, she just gave Kairi, Naminé, and Xion enough room to try and fend off the beast. Unfortunately, this wasn't just an average battle against a Heartless. It was anything but. None of their attacks affected the beast. Their Keyblades would just bounce off the body and Naminé's magic would be deflected. Kairi even tried Seven Wishes move and Xion tried Sonic Blade, but neither of them were successful. The most the girls could do was block against any of the creature's attacks.

"My magic won't work on it!" Naminé gasped.

"I can't hit it!" Xion growled.

Kairi shook her head, as her heart started to panic. "Neither can I! What's going on? There's something off about this Heartless!"

Chirithy popped out, perching onto Kairi's shoulder. "That's because that is not a Heartless, Kairi! That's a Dream Eater, specifically, a Nightmare!"

"Okay, but that doesn't explain why my Keyblade won't work against it!"

"That's because this isn't any normal Nightmare. This one was spawned from the deepest darkest depths of the heart. Only the one whose heart this Nightmare belongs to can defeat it." Chirithy explained.

"You mean to tell us we're royally screwed right now?" Xion asked, her jaw clenched.

"Yep! So right now, you girls better get out of here if you wanna live!"

Xion and Naminé immediately turned and began running for the doors, prompting Anna to do the same. Kairi took one more look at the wolf, wishing she could just take it out right then and there. She didn't want to run. That's what she spent many years doing, just running away from anything that was remotely scary or dangerous, leaving it up to Sora and Riku to take care of it. It was the last thing she wanted to do, but with Xion and Naminé running back to pull her along with them, she didn't have much of a choice.

After slamming the doors behind them, hoping the wolf would at least be trapped in the Great Hall a bit, each of the girls took a quick breather. It wouldn't last long as the wolf suddenly reappeared in front of them from the other side. With Anna, Xion, and Naminé all screaming in terror, Kairi stepped forward, her Keyblade still gripped, and decided to try and fight off the wolf anyway. Even if she couldn't damage it, she could at least distract it while he friends ran past. The plan managed to work as Anna lead Xion and Naminé around the wolf that continued to lunge at Kairi, only for her to deflect it back. Once she found the opportune moment, Kairi decided to try a Stop spell. At least she found one spell that worked. The wolf stayed still for a few seconds, allowing her to catch up with her friends.

Anna stressed, trying to think of where they could go. She didn't want to go to Elsa's room right away out of fear the Nightmare would follow them. Instead, there was one person in the palace that she thought could help them. Kairi and the others picked up the pace as she heard her Stop spell wear off and the beast howling. They went into the room of Kai, one of the palace stewards that seemed to have a protocol for everything. If anyone could help in this situation where Keyblades didn't help, it was Kai.

After locking the doors behind them, Anna hurried over to Kai's sleeping form on the bed. She knew they didn't have much time until the Nightmare discovered their location. She began shaking him awake, only he remained completely still. Anna lit a candle from his bedside and held it over Kai's head, hoping it would help. Instead, he twisted and turned in his sleep, mumbling in a distressed tone, as if he was having a...nightmare. Kai continued on until Anna finally shook him awake.

Only, it wasn't the sight either of the girls wanted to see.

Kai's eyes flew wide open. Instead of his eyes being the usual brownish green color, they looked like two completely black ink pits. Anna staggered back while Kairi gasped, her mouth hanging open. Naminé covered her eyes and Xion put her arm around her. It was like something out of a horror movie. Kai sat up right in his bed and he screamed. He screamed as if long claws were tearing his heart out. Anna rested her hand on his shoulder, trying to comfort him, but to no avail. Kairi, Naminé, and Xion all held their ears. This screaming was becoming too much even for them to handle.

"Now what's happening?" Naminé asked as she held her ears.

Kairi shook her head. "I don't know! But Elsa might be in danger if the other palace attendants are like this!"

"Elsa!" Anna cried out as loud as she could.

Kairi watched as Anna sprinted out of the room. Now, nothing else mattered to her other than Elsa's safety. Even with the Nightmare getting an idea to sent multiple copies of its head throughout the different parts of the palace, Kairi couldn't help but feel conflicted. On the one hand, Kai was suffering and she didn't want to just leave him here. On the other hand, it already seemed too late and the best option was to follow Anna and make sure Elsa was okay. With guidance from Xion and Naminé, the three of them opted to ignore copied heads and follow Anna back up to the royal chamber where they burst through the door to Elsa's room that was thankfully unlocked. She was also still awake, having not even changed out of her day clothes.

"Anna? What's going on?" Elsa asked with concern in her voice.

"Th-There's a wolf!" Anna stammered.

Kairi shook her head, her breath also uneasy. "No! It's not just a wolf! It's not even a Heartless! It's like this big Nightmare!"

"The palace attendants, it's like they're possessed or something!" Xion added.

"Girls, take a deep breath." Elsa said calmly. "Now, what did you see?"

Once she caught her breath, Anna told her everything she saw that had to do with the wolf. She told her how it had been tracking through the castle, how it tried to attack them, and that neither Kairi, Xion, or Naminé's attacks would work on it. She shared with Elsa the horror that was Kai's nightmarish state. The more Anna shared, the more Elsa grew concerned, but not necessarily in terms of the castle's safety.

"Are you sure you didn't have a bad dream?" Elsa pondered as she felt her sister's forehead.

Olaf yawned and rubbed his eyes, having been listening the whole time as he climbed out of his little bed. "Sounds like a bad dream."

"No! We're serious!" Xion argued.

"You believe me, don't you?" Anna asked, her tone slightly hurt.

Elsa sighed as she rubbed her temples. "Anna, I want to, but it's really late. We should _all _get to bed now."

"Question." Olaf asked as he unbolted the lock and peeked through the doors. "Wolves usually have four paws, two eyes, and long, sharp teeth, right?" Everyone else in the room nodded, only for Olaf to gasp while pressing a hand to his mouth. "Then, I'm pretty sure we should believe them."

The door flew open, the Nightmare rushing into the room. Elsa gasped as she held out her arms in front of Anna and her sister's friends. She didn't want to believe there was a giant monster running through the castle and now, she had no choice but to believe her as the beast began creep its way toward the group, Olaf jumping into Naminé's arms out of fear. It followed them as the girls circled around the room with Elsa still standing between them. However, before Anna or anyone else could react, a wall of ice erupted from the floor. Thick ice crystals formed a barrier that separated the girls from the Nightmare. It one of these moments where Elsa was grateful she was born with her magic powers.

"Now do you believe me?" Anna asked.

Elsa's heart raced, her breathing uneven as her eyes scanned the room. "We have to go find-"

The Nightmare started thumping against the ice wall, cutting off Elsa's words, and increasing the panic among everyone. Elsa as the only one who seemed not afraid and the only one who had the perfect way to thwart it off. Even if it didn't do damage to the Nightmare, it could at least hold it off, similar to how Kairi was distracting it.

"Run! Get out of here!" Elsa demanded as she held her arms up.

"But Elsa-" Anna argued, concerned for her sister's safety.

"Anna, she'll be okay. Come on." Kairi said in a calm manner.

Anna took one more look at her ice-casting sister before finally agreeing to go with Kairi. Xion and Naminé had already made some good distance down the hall, past the counsel chambers, with Naminé carrying Olaf. At this point, their priority was to get out of the castle. If Elsa wasn't safe, then nobody was. Anna led the trio and Olaf down the various flights of stairs and to the first floor where front doors were. It also didn't help that random Heartless were spawning now and again during this escape. While Naminé was carrying Olaf, this left Kairi and Xion to sweep any Heartless that got in there. Lucky for Kairi, she knew enough magic to annihilate the ice-elemental enemies while Xion went all out with her Keyblade. They didn't have time to strategize. This was urgent.

As the girls reached the front doors, Anna immediately came to a stop, causing Kairi to collide into her form behind, Naminé and Xion doing the same thing. There, blocking their path, was not only Kai, but also Gerda. Gerda was also under the same nightmarish state Kai was. This time though, they weren't stagnant. In fact, they were strutting toward them. Both of them were screaming with their mouths wide open, and each of them had something in their hands that they were lurching at the girls. Kai had a red hot poker while Gerda had a pair of scissors, and they were both shouting inaudibly, as if their mouths were gagged.

"Well, this can't be good." Olaf whispered.

Anna's breathing started growing heavy, as did Kairi's. Her numb hand finally curled into a fist while her other one gripped her Keyblade even tighter. She knew this was something she was capable of, and it was like a fire that was burning within her heart. Kairi stepped forward, getting between Anna and the stewards.

"Kairi? What are you doing?" Naminé asked.

"If it comes down to it, we're gonna have to fight our way through!" Kairi answered back, keeping her eyes fixated on Kai and Gerda.

Anna shook her head and ran forward. "We can't! We'll hurt them! There has to be another way…"

Xion tapped her foot in anticipation. "Well if there is, you may wanna think about it quick."

Kairi, while gritting her teeth, slowly started to back away. They didn't have a lot of options at this point. Using a Stop spell always took a lot out of Kairi and she had already used it once before on the Nightmare, not to mention how much it took to cast her other magic spells that she had used on the Heartless due to Naminé taking care of Olaf. At this point, it was fight Kai and Gerda off, or run. While Kairi was contemplating her own decisions, Anna was thinking back to when she had discovered the blueprints to the castle in the same room where she found the Magic Makers book. She started to remember that there was a secret tunnel that went under the castle. She didn't know exactly where it went, but it would at least get them out.

"Wait! I know how we can get out of here! Follow me!" Anna waved the trio in the opposite direction.

From the front doors, it was back to the kitchen. Anna explained that there was a secret passage in the ice room that could not only hide them from the Nightmare, but also get them to safety. Elsa finally joined them. She had spent a notable amount of time trying to hold off the wolf with her ice powers, but it had finally gotten to the point where Elsa was wearing herself down and needed to conserve her energy, otherwise, that would mean worse news. There was so much circulating through everyone's minds, so much so that nobody noticed Kristoff had returned from his trip. He was sitting at the table just eating a sandwich with Sven, his reindeer, next to him. It was obvious he had no idea what was going on and there was no time to explain.

"Hi, Kristoff!" Olaf greeted as he and Naminé darted into the kitchen and past the table. "Bye, Kristoff!"

"Run, Kristoff!" Anna yelled, grabbing him by arm and pulling him along with her.

"Mwaf?" Kristoff asked, his mouth full of sandwich. He looked back and noticed the wolf dashing right into the kitchen, its roars echoing throughout. "MWAFFFFFF!" He yelled, dropping his sandwich.

Now that everybody was together, Anna lead the way into the ice room, bolting the door behind them. It was a long shot considering the Nightmare was able to vanish and reappear on the other side, but with a small room like the ice room, it gave everyone hope that they could at least have enough time to escape. Anna knelt down and picked up a particular flagstone in the ground that opened up to reveal a stairwell that plunged into darkness. Kairi smiled and nodded, relieved that there was finally a safe way out of the palace. Each person went one at a time, starting with Olaf and ending with Kristoff, who pulled the flagstone back over them, making the current room almost pitch black.

"Okay, now that we're all here and out of that _thing's _way, can someone _please _tell me what's going on?" Kristoff asked, taking a deep breath.

"Well...we don't even know exactly what's going on." Kairi answered. "All my friends and I know is that that thing isn't a Heartless, it's a Nightmare, and we can't hurt it with our Keyblades."

"Wait...back up a sec. Who are you three?"

"Oh!" Anna hurried over to the trio. "This is Kairi, Naminé, and Xion. They're friends of mine!"

Xion smirked and folded her arms. "I take it you're Kristoff, right?"

"Yeah...and this is Sven. Okay, now that we've got that out of the way, what is this about Heartless? Are they causing problems again?"

"Well...yes and no." Naminé explained. "We had a couple encounters here, but I don't think they're the ones responsible for _this_."

Kairi nodded in agreement. "We'll do what we can to help, but this creature is new territory for us and we don't know much about it."

Kristoff sighed and threw his head back. "Great, my night just keeps getting better…"

"Well, in the meantime, can we get some light in here?" Elsa asked as she peered around, unable to see anything in the dark.

"Sure, let me get out my lantern." Kristoff said while digging into his travel pack.

"I've got you covered with the fire!" Naminé chirped as she held her Keyblade against the lantern, a small flame lighting it up.

"Thanks. Now, new question, where the heck are we?"

"This is the Earth Giant's Passage. It believe it goes under the fjord and will hopefully lead us far enough away from the wolf." Anna answered, a bit of uncertainty in her tone. "I'm not completely sure. The blueprints weren't exactly clear."

"Well, standing here won't answer our question." Elsa said as she brushed past the rest of the group and started down the path. "I'll go first, in case there's anything dangerous up ahead. Olaf, do you think you could…?"

"Put my eyes on the back of my head?" Olaf asked as he turned his head 180 degrees. "Already done!"

Kairi, Naminé, and Xion stuck close behind Elsa. "We'll back you up, in case there are any Heartless." Kairi said with the utmost confidence that brought comfort and relief to the stressed out queen.

With Kristoff's lantern lighting the way, the dark and quiet passage almost felt like a blessing. The girls had all spent a significant amount of time listening to a howling wolf and screaming stewards. Plus, they finally weren't running away from anything dangerous. In fact, it was such a barren passage that Kairi would be surprised if they did find anything of value. Although, she did have a tendency to pick up loose munny, which wasn't much, but considering she had been doing that all throughout the journey, it added up.

The tunnel finally widened up until it was a chamber. If there was any opportunity for anything dangerous to ambush the group, it was here. Instead, there was something that looked very serpent-like based on how the light shone on it. It wasn't a real creature though, but a carving. It was a carving of the finest wood anyone in this world would ever see or touch.

"It's a dragon!" Xion gasped.

"It's a boat shaped like a dragon." Anna pointed out.

Elsa thought for a moment as she studied the boat. "Everyone, this isn't just a tunnel. I think this is a tumulus."

"A tummy _what_?" Olaf asked.

"Long ago, people used to build large dirt mounds called tumuli and lay their fallen leaders in their boats, along with everything they would need to take with them to the afterlife." Elsa explained.

Kairi brushed her hand along the boat. "Interesting. Usually at the islands, if something happened to sailors, they rarely ever returned. Even with a crew, if member didn't make it, then the whole crew went down." She pulled out her lucky charm, holding it out for everyone to see. "This is why we make lucky charms out of thalassa shells. They're meant to ensure a safe journey home."

Olaf sighed as she stared at the charm. "Aww, that's sweet. But...that one's broken. It doesn't look very lucky to me."

"Well, we're working on fixing it. But right now, my friends need me." Kairi said before putting her charm away. Even if it meant delaying finding the next piece, she knew this is what Sora would have wanted. He would rather she help his, no, _their _friends first.

Anna smiled and nodded. "We'll help you in any way we can too."

"Of course." Elsa also nodded in agreement. "Just as soon as we can get this problem with the wolf fixed, we'll gladly help you with your search for Sora."

Despite everyone making progress toward the other side of the passage, Anna had something that was holding her back, both mentally and physically. In fact, she walked toward the back with Olaf instead of staying close to Kristoff or Elsa. She knew in her gut where the wolf came from. She knew that it was because she read the spell that the wolf was here. It all made too much sense to her. It was a spell that made dreams come true, and it wasn't specific on what dreams would come true. Anna couldn't continued to waltz around and act like she had no idea what was going on. She had to tell _someone _who she knew would listen to her. From the back, Anna called Kairi's name and waved her to the back.

"What is it, Anna?" Kairi lowered her voice to a hushed whisper.

Anna sighed, keeping her head low. "I...whatever I tell you...can we just keep it between us for now? I'm...not ready to tell my sister yet." She asked. Kairi nodded, swearing to secrecy. "I know where that wolf came from…"

"Oh? Well, it's a Nightmare, remember?"

"I know. It's _my _Nightmare…"

Kairi gasped. "What?" She asked a little too loud, prompting attention from everyone else. Anna shushed her before she brushed everyone else off. "Wait, how do you know it's yours?" She asked, lowering her voice back to a whisper.

"Because…" Anna shook her head. "For years, I've had this same nightmare, since I was a little girl." She gripped her cloak that was wrapped around her tightly. "I'm running through the woods, playing with Elsa. We're usually playing hide-and-seek. She's hiding and I'm seeking, but when I go to seek her out, instead of finding her, I just come face to face with this large wolf with big yellow eyes, blood seeping from its jaws. The wolf chases me while I'm trying to find Elsa, but she's nowhere to be found. When I realize this, that's when I'd usually either wake up on my own or my mother would wake me up back when my parents were alive."

"Wow...that's intense."

"But now, that's not the only nightmare I have of the wolf." Anna rested her hand across her chest. "I'm in what could only be a realm of pure darkness, and I see _him._"

"Who?" Kairi asked, getting curious now.

Anna sighed, feeling a shiver shoot down her spine. "My ex-fiancee, Hans. The man who almost killed my sister. He transforms into the wolf, and I feel this heavy darkness just drowning me right within his presence."

Kairi's eyes darted from Anna to the ground. It turned out the two of them had something in common. As a Princess of Heart, she was a bigger target of the darkness, often causing her to have nightmares that had only gotten worse since Sora vanished. She rested her hand against her chest as she started to feel the bitter chill that overwhelmed her body whenever she did think about the nightmares.

"You know, I have dreams like that too. I don't exactly dream about a wolf, but I also have nightmares of losing myself to the darkness too." Kairi murmured softly. She curled her hand into a fist as she remembered back to the moment in Zootopia where she went savage, losing herself completely. "Wait...do you think that Nightmare is a result of us reading the spell?"

Anna nodded. "I don't just think it is. I know it is. There's no other explanation for why a Nightmare would come alive."

"But I read the spell too...why wouldn't it affect-"

"Kairi! Anna!" Xion called back to them. "Elsa found a way out!"

Kairi hurried to catch up with the rest of the group with Anna trailing not far behind. The light that peered through the tunnel was more than enough proof that there was indeed a way out. Following the light, and the crashing sounds that came with it, Elsa lead everyone to an exit that was blocked by a strong and powerful waterfall. Kristoff even tried prodding his hand into the falls only or him to bring it back right away due to how cold it was and how hard it was falling from above. Elsa, taking advantage of her powers, waved her hands and formed an arch of ice in the middle of the falls.

With the new opening in the waterfall, Kairi was the first to go out, relieved to see the sunrise. It was quite beautiful with its pink and lavender sky hovering over the white snow that each of the girls' feet sunk into as they exited the Earth Giants' Passage. Anna collapsed onto her knees, overwhelmed with relief that she was no longer in the palace with the Nightmare and that she didn't have to hear the distressed cries of the stewards. Elsa was glad to be safe too, but she looked over the hill toward the village. Her immediate concern shift to her kingdom, the place she was responsible for protecting.

"We should warn the village." Kristoff suggested as he helped Anna up. "But if we go back to the village, the wolf might eat us." He said in his 'Sven voice', which was him simply adding a sort of croakiness to his normal voice.

"Good point. How do we protect everyone?" Anna asked.

Everyone thought for a moment. There was a giant beast in the castle and a hefty number of villagers that weren't far from it. There had to be a way to trap it in. Elsa's eyes darted between the castle and the waterfall. It seemed like a big task to undertake, but figured it was better than not attempting anything at all. She waved her arms in front of the waterfall, causing it to shoot up toward the sky like a geyser instead of to the ground like normal. Kairi, Naminé, and Xion all gasped as they watched the water stream above their heads and swirl around the caste until it became a giant dome of pure ice. It almost looked like a bell jar by comparison.

"Whoa, now _that's _ice…" Kristoff marveled at Elsa's latest creation.

"Thank you. I just hope it holds the wolf." Elsa said while folding her hands.

Kairi stepped forward, her eyes fixated on the village. "I hope the Heartless decide to give the village a break."

The unsettling sound of groans and raspy breathing grabbed everyone's, especially Kristoff's, attention. Sven's eyes started drooping and his legs wobbled until they finally gave out, sending him down to the ground. There were white spots all over on his fur, and he could barely hold his head up. Sven was a happy reindeer all around, so for Anna and Kristoff to see him in this condition, it was a clear indication that something was wrong.

"Sven!" Kristoff cried as he fell to his knees. "Come on, buddy!"

"What happened to him?" Naminé asked.

Elsa studied Sven and his symptoms before shaking her head. "It's the Blight. Sven caught the Blight disease."

"You guys just can't catch a break, can you?" Xion asked as she folded her arms.

Kairi sighed and shook her head. "Now what do we do? We can't get back into the castle as long as that Nightmare is in there."

"Mint." Elsa said as she looked onward toward the village. "One of our villagers said it helped with her cattle. I also saw it work with some goats too."

"Let's go down to the botanist's shop, then." Anna suggested.

"Great...first the Blight, and then I couldn't find the trolls, and then-" Kristoff mumbled.

"Wait, you couldn't find the trolls?" Anna gasped.

"Nope, and they didn't even leave a message. They usually at least leave me snail mail if they're gonna be gone."

"Snail mail?" Kairi asked.

"They're notes written on the bottom of leaves by snail slime." Kristoff explained. "They've never done this before. It's got me worried."

Naminé rested a hand on Kristoff's shoulder. "Don't worry, Kristoff. We'll fix everything, one step at a time."

Despite Naminé's positivity, Kristoff didn't feel much better about the situation, but he still appreciated her looking out for him. She even helped him support Sven as they followed down the hill back toward the village. Kairi kept close to Olaf, Anna, and Elsa with Xion right behind them. The village seemed normal immediately upon arrival. At least, it _seemed_ normal. It was early enough that only some would be out getting the early morning errands done such as setting up shops, beginning to start that day's stock at the bakery, or even starting on various cuts of meat at the butcher shop. If the previous night was a strange night, then this morning was no different beyond the surface of the village.

The villagers were aimlessly dragging themselves through the streets, and it wasn't because it was early in the morning. Kairi and Anna focused their eyes in on the villagers and noticed something familiar about them. They were in the same state that Kai and Gerda were in only the night before. Only this time, there were more than two of them. In fact, there were a lot of them, all mumbling inaudibly as if they were in pain, and having the inky pits in their eyes as opposed to their regular pupils and irises. This mob easily outnumbered the group, which didn't make any of them feel any better.

"We're toast…" Xion muttered.

"Only if we provoke them." Elsa mentioned. "As long as we keep our distance, we should be fine."

Anna nodded. "We just need to get some mint leaves for Sven."

"Should we split up?" Naminé suggested.

"No." Kairi and Elsa answered in unison. They both looked at each other and nodded, as if they both had the same idea.

"How are we gonna get around them then?" Xion asked.

"We stay together, we stay silent, and we keep moving." Elsa said as she took Olaf's hand.

Kairi nodded, agreeing with Elsa's plan. She locked her hands with Xion and Naminé's as the three of them followed Elsa with Anna and Kristoff right behind them. Their footsteps were nothing more than soft pitters and patters throughout the streets that thankfully kept them out of view of the villagers. Once they reached the botanist's shop, Elsa had everyone else stay outside while she hurried in to grab the mint, figuring it wouldn't take very long, especially if the botanist was asleep.

As long as the group kept quiet, everything seemed safe. However, because the world had a sense of humor, a swarm of Heartless spawned right beside the shop and began taunting everyone, but especially Kairi, Naminé, and Xion.

"Really?" Xion groaned.

Kairi summoned her Keyblade. "We have to take them out!"

"I thought we were supposed to stay quiet?" Kristoff asked.

"Do you wanna lose your heart?" Kairi asked, him remaining silent. "That's what I thought. If it comes down to it, just distract the villagers from us."

Leaving Kristoff to care for Anna, Kairi began to let loose on the Soldier Heartless, getting ride of them rather quickly. She guarded most of their attacks before countering with a bright Starcracker blast. The blast was enough to knock him off their feet so Naminé could finish them off with a Thundara spell. Xion was wailing on a Parasol Beauty with various attacks before finishing it off with a number of Blitz finishers. She got shot in the back by a laser from another before slid closer to it, knocking it off its feet. Naminé also cast an Aero spell to lift it up in the air before Kairi finished it off with a Fira spell. It seemed like they were taking the Heartless out with ease, but also, the Heartless continued to respawn no matter what they did.

"Ugh...they just keep coming!" Naminé grumbled.

"Girls! We have a bigger problem than that!" Kristoff cried out as a woodcarver got dangerously close to him, holding his hatchet high up.

"Hey! Leave him alone!" Anna yelled as she ran in between them, kicking the woodcarver in the...well...area that her mother told to kick in an emergency case, which this definitely was.

Kristoff's eyes widened as he watched the woodcarver fall to the ground in pain. "Don't make her angry…" He murmured to himself.

Xion gasped as another farmer came strutting toward her. "He's not the only one we have to worry about!" Despite not wanting to, she swung her Keyblade and blocked the pitchfork the farmer attempted to attack her with. "Forget Organization XIII, this is a _real _nightmare!" She yelled as she knocked the farmer back off their footing.

"Elsa! Have you got the mint yet?" Kairi called out as she knocked back a baker that tried to attack her with a rolling pin.

Elsa burst out the door of the shop before slamming it and sealing it shut with ice. "Go! Now!"

"But what about the Heartless?" Kairi asked the distressed queen. "They'll hurt the villagers and swallow their hearts!"

"We have to forget about them for now. I have an idea, but we have to go now."

After escaping the village that was nothing short of a disaster between the Heartless and the infected villagers, Elsa managed to step close to the sea and raise it up with her hands. She used a similar technique that she did to cover the castle with ice, only this time, she had to use a different water source since they weren't close to the falls and didn't have enough time to run back up the hill. Concentrated and focused on the village, Elsa waved her hands around and wrapped the water from the sea around before freezing it. If the castle looked like it was under a bell jar, then the village looked like it was under a dome made of ice. It appeared that the villagers were now trapped in their steps, and so were the Heartless. Not a single movement could be done with how strong Elsa's ice was.

"Is everyone going to be okay?" Naminé asked.

Elsa nodded. "Using ice that is created with magic has its advantages. The villagers and the Heartless will remain frozen in place, but no harm will come to them during that time. It's like a sleep spell."

Kairi nodded, understanding the logic behind it. "At least they can't hurt each other."

"Sven!" Kristoff gasped as Sven began groaning, stumbling in place. "Elsa, did you get the mint?" He sighed of relief as Elsa held out the green leaves in front of Sven's nose. The reindeer jerked his head as his pupils contracted from the sharp scent. While it wasn't a permanent cure, it was enough to restore Sven's general consciousness.

"That'll do for now. I brought plenty in case he starts to fluctuate." Elsa mentioned. "At least until we can figure out a cure."

Xion sighed as she sat on a stump. "Well, now what do we do? I feel like we're in a zombie apocalypse horror film." She said to Kairi and Naminé, who both nodded in agreement.

"Tell me about it." Kairi sad while kicking some dirt. "And now, we definitely can't leave until all of this is fixed because I'm just as responsible." She groaned. "I need to stop trying to take shortcuts…"

"How is this _your _fault?" Naminé questioned, her eyebrows furrowing.

Kairi bit down on her lip, remembering her promise to Anna to not say anything. "I'll...I'll tell you later." She covered up, knowing that it would only be a matter of time until Anna confessed to everyone what happened. A burst of wind blew through, causing Kairi to shiver slightly. "Is there anywhere we can go from here?"

"Well…" Anna thought for a moment. She thought back to when she left Arendelle to chase after Elsa after she ran away. There was _one _place she remembered visiting, but considering what happened to the villagers, she wondered if that place got affected too. "I might know of someplace safe. It's possible that anything and anyone outside of the village wasn't affected, so we should move onward."

"What is this place?" Kristoff asked as he continued to support Sven.

"Oh, you'll remember it." She said with a sheepish giggle.

Although it was a bit of a hike, especially with the snow growing heavier overnight, Anna did have confidence that this place was a good safe zone for them to visit. Kairi was curious about this place. She didn't notice any other place when she was lost in the woods with Xion and Naminé. Then again, Anna was leading everyone in the opposite direction the girls travelled from when they first arrived. It only made Kairi wonder just how much bigger this world truly was, especially as she gazed upon the frosted mountain ranges. They looked so different than the ones on Destiny Islands were even prettier in the morning sunlight.

Just as Anna had mentioned, there was a cabin down at the bottom of the hill. It brought a wave of relief over Kairi, Naminé, and Xion that there was someplace warm to be inside of that was (hopefully) not crawling with possessed villagers or Heartless. Anna, Kristoff, and Elsa were all bundled up for the winter while Olaf and Sven could handle the snow for obvious reasons, but even with the dresses that they borrowed from Anna, the trio were still not the biggest fans of the really cold temperatures. The dresses were an improvement though and they would've suffered even more had they not borrowed them, but still, the warmth sounded much better.

"Wandering Oaken's Trading Post?" Xion read out loud as they reached the cabin.

Kairi tapped the smaller snow-covered sign, revealing what it said. "And sauna? Oh, that sounds so nice right now!"

"Ooh, a hot bath sounds so lovely right now…" Naminé sighed.

Olaf nodded while giggling. "Nothing like an ice cold drink while scorching yourself in boiling water, right?"

"Hang on, you guys. We have to proceed with caution, just in case." Anna warned as she cracked the door open. It was dimly lit with plenty of various run of the mill items on the chefs such as crops, tools, and apparel. It seemed like it was safe, but Anna didn't want to take any chances. "Oaken?" She called out.

"Woohoo!" A higher-pitched male voice echoed from behind the front desk. "Who is it?" He asked in a strong accent.

"Oh, Oaken! It's me, Anna!"

Oaken poked up from behind the desk, gasping at the sight of the princess. "It's my best customer! And the queen! And the donkey who called me a crook!" He clapped his hands.

Kristoff rolled his eyes. "Can't you please just let it go?"

"Nope, can't do it! It's stuck in my head!" Oaken said with a sarcastic smile on his face. "Oh! I see you brought more customers! Woohoo! Big autumn blowout! Half off on rakes, light cloaks, sweaters, and my special pumpkin juice, ja?"

"Uh...we're not exactly here to shop." Kairi laughed sheepishly.

"Actually Oaken, we need a safe place to go right now." Anna started to explain. "You see, there's-"

"A big dark monster terrorizing the castle and the village, leading Elsa to freeze everything?" Oaken filled in. "Ja, I know."

"So, can we stay?" Naminé asked.

Oaken thought for a moment. "Well, I suppose if you buy some of my pumpkin spice coffee, we could-"

"Call it a deal!" Chirithy burst out of Kairi's hood. "Because I will buy your ENTIRE storage!" He said while raiding Kairi's wallet that was full of munny she had gathered over her journey.

"Oooh, I like this cat. You stay too, ja?" Oaken asked as he took the munny.

"Ja man, I stay too and drink beautiful coffee…" Chirithy sighed.

While everyone, including Chirithy, huddled in the corner by the fireplace warming up and drinking their coffee, it was time to come up with a plan. The biggest concern was making sure nobody ended up in the nightmarish state. Elsa noted that everyone that got affected had to be those who were asleep before the wolf entered the area they slept in. Even with Anna and Kairi falling asleep, they woke up before the wolf arrived at the castle, Elsa hadn't fallen asleep yet, Kristoff was still travelling with Sven, and Olaf didn't get affected even when asleep since he was a sentient being.

"So, what you're trying to stay is that basically, as long we all stay awake, we'll be okay?" Kairi asked as she summarized everything.

Elsa nodded. "That sounds like the most logical plan."

"We still have no idea how to get rid of it." Kristoff mumbled as he sipped his coffee.

"I have an idea!" Olaf hopped from his seat. "We get rid of it the fast way!"

Naminé giggled as she patted him on his snowy back. "Thanks Olaf, but we need a little more than that."

"Hmm...how about the _smart _and fast way?" He asked before lowering his voice to a hushed whisper. "Or...the _secretive _way?"

"Or, you can go see a mystic!" Oaken suggested.

Anna's head perked up. "What mystic?"

"Sorenson, he's the mystic of Miner's Mountain! He usually keeps to himself in his tower, but if this is a curse, he'll help, ja!"

"Do you really think he can help? We don't even know where this came from…" Elsa asked, concern in her voice. Anna and Kairi looked at each other before gulping, knowing that they were keeping a secret when they shouldn't have been.

"Magic! It has to be!" Oaken said as he snapped his fingers.

"Then, we have to go see him!" Anna urged the others.

Kairi nodded in agreement. "If neither of us can stop it with the Keyblade, then this Sorenson guy may be our only hope."

Elsa sighed, shaking her head. "Anna, Kairi, I've already said that magic isn't-"

"I know, I know. It's not the solution, but…" Anna said in a convicted tone.

This was it. Anna had no choice. Now that they were in a position where they couldn't even step foot back into the village, Anna had to tell Elsa what was going on, especially if this meant the difference between staying in this situation or having a solution that could not only break Arendelle free of this curse, but also finally bring a cure for the Blight that only seemed to be a minor issue now compared to the overall picture. Kairi also wasn't going to let Anna take all of the blame for it. Even if it seemed like Anna's nightmare was the only one to come true, she still helped with executing the spell, and unless she confessed too, she knew it'd be something she'd have hovering over her shoulders the rest of their time there.

"Elsa, there's...something I need to tell you." Anna said as she got her sister's attention. She froze as she felt Kairi's hand on her shoulder. "Kairi?"

Kairi shook her head. "No, _we _need to tell you something...because, I'm just as guilty."

"Guilty? For what?" Elsa questioned both girls.

Anna shuffled through her bag before pulling out the loose page with the spell. "Arendelle is cursed...and I may be the one who cursed it…" She confessed while holding out the slip.

"And I helped too." Kairi said with her head low. "We both read the spell."

Elsa took the slip and scanned it, her eyes widening the further she read. "Anna, Kairi, did you two read the note at the bottom?"

"Uh...what note?" They both asked in unison.

Elsa exhaled heavily, trying not to get angry with Anna and Kairi, knowing that getting angry with them wouldn't get anywhere. Instead, she created a magnifying glass made of ice and held it over the slip, but below the spell's text. Kairi and Anna both dipped their faces closer to the the magnified text that read: 'SPELL NOT GUARANTEED TO BE EXACTLY WHAT YOU WISHED FOR. IF NOT REVERSED, SPELL SHALL TAKE ROOT PERMANENTLY ON ITS THIRD SUNRISE.' It was sad, but true. There was fine print about the spell that nobody bothered to check for.

"Oh...yeah, I definitely didn't see that." Anna said, her face turning white.

Kairi bit down on her lip. "I...didn't read the fine print either.

Xion's face scrunched up as she gripped Kairi by the shoulders and shook her. "You mean you DIDN'T read the fine print? Kairi! I've been a person for only a year and even I know to read fine print!"

"Don't yell at me! I didn't see fine print! My eyes aren't THAT good!" Kairi argued.

"Okay, cool it off, you two." Naminé said as she got between the two frustrated girls. "Xion, you've made plenty of mistakes too. Kairi…" She also gripped Kairi's shoulders and shook her. "How could you not do that? You know better! That's such a SORA thing to do!"

"I know! I know! I feel stupid for doing it! You don't have to make me feel worse…" Kairi said while folding her arms.

Elsa looked over at her sister, who didn't say a single word since reading the fine print. She could tell Anna felt really bad about the whole situation and would be the last person to go out of her way to curse Arendelle on purpose. "Anna...why would you do that?" She asked in a soft tone that was trying to remain calm

Anna held her head low, sadness written all across her face. "I'm sorry. I was upset when I heard you having a meeting without me. I wanted to help, but...you wouldn't listen to me, so I did what I could, but I just made everything worse, and...I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." Kairi nodded her head. "I just...I just want to find Sora and bring him home. It's already been so long…" She said in a low tone as she sat back down on a stool. "Since he vanished, since we began our search for him, since we began _this _journey. I just want to bring him home. Nothing else matters right now."

Xion and Naminé both hovered over Kairi, resting their hands on her shoulders. Sure, they were disappointed that she made a foolish mistake like this one, but they also knew she did it with good intentions. Kairi was on this journey for Sora, and only for him. Nobody could be truly angry with her. Elsa especially couldn't find it in her heart to be angry with Kairi or Anna. Sora not only helped keep Anna safe during their journey up the North Mountain, but he was also a friend to her when she felt all alone, never once doubting her or showing fear of her. Elsa also took a deep breath as conviction of leaving Anna out started to settle in. It's true, she had been leaving Anna out more lately and didn't realize how much it was bothering her. Maybe, she had made her own mistake that hurt just as much as Kairi and Anna's had.

"Well, I guess I can't be upset at either of you for those reasons." Elsa said with a warm smile as she rested a hand on Anna's shoulder, earning a smile back from her energetic little sister.

"And as for you, Kairi." Naminé said with a giggle. "You know we're gonna get Sora back, no matter how long it takes."

"Because we both inherited your stubbornness." Xion smirked. "So, no more short cuts, okay? Because...no offense, but they work just as well for you as they worked out for Sora."

Kairi laughed as she nodded. "Okay, deal!"

"So, I guess since this whole thing is because of magic, guess we gotta go find this Sorenson guy." Kristoff said with his arms folded.

Chirithy set his coffee down, deciding to offer his two cents. "Well, here's the thing. That creature is called a Nightmare. It's kinda like a Heartless, but Nightmares are dark Dream Eaters that usually thrive in the Realm of Sleep. The Nightmare being here _is _a result of Anna reading that spell. But there's a catch, because the Nightmare comes from the deeper depths of Anna's heart, only she can defeat it and break the curse." He explained.

"M-Me?" Anna stammered. "But...how? I don't know any magic like you, Elsa."

"And Anna can't wield a Keyblade either…" Kairi noted.

"Well, if Sorenson is an expert in magic, maybe he can teach Anna how to use magic." Naminé suggested. "A lot of the magic I use now is because I was taught how to cast those spells by someone who was an expert. If Anna can learn her own magic, then maybe it'll be enough to vanquish the Nightmare."

Xion nodded, shooting an encouraging smile to Anna. "Sounds like the next best thing."

Elsa bit down on her lip, as unsure as she was about this, she did agree that it was the best measure to take in this situation. "Anna, if you're willing to do this, then I think it's the best solution."

"I think it's the best solution too." Anna nodded in agreement. "Let's go see Sorenson and see what he can do."

"Oaken, do you know where he lives?" Kristoff asked.

Oaken nodded as he pulled out a map and spread it in front of the register. "Follow the Roaring River past the Black Mountains until you see signs for the abandoned mines. Beware, they're dangerous." He warned. "They're known for awful cave-ins and terrible landslides."

"Hmm, that sounds safe." Xion sarcastically remarked.

"Oh yes, and don't forget about the Huldrefolk who live in the heart of the mountain! They're tricky creatures who hide in the shadows. Sometimes they help, and other times, they lure humans off the safest paths." Oaken mentioned as he pointed to the center of the mountain on the map.

"Thank you for the advice." Elsa thanked him before looking out the window in the direction of the Black Mountains. "Looks like we're in for a long trip."

Anna stepped up next to her sister. "And we're in this together."

"We sure are!" Kairi said as she stood beside Elsa on the other side.

"And me too!" Olaf popped up in front of the girls, arms all spread out like he was presenting himself. "A snowman adventurer!"

Anna and Elsa giggled before Anna picked him up and placed him right beside Sven. "Olaf, we'd love for you to come, but we need you to stay here."

"You mean…" The snowman's smile faded as he came to the realization that he wasn't going this time. "You don't want me to go?"

"We do, but it's very dangerous, and we need someone to look after Sven." Elsa explained as she knelt down to his level. "Can you do that for us?"

Olaf sighed before straightening himself up. "If protecting Sven is what Anna and Elsa want, then protecting Sven is what Olaf wants too!"

"And what Kristoff wants too." Kristoff pointed out.

"Sure! Sure! My foot has been hurting lately anyway. I'd better put some ice on it." Olaf said as he took a seat and began scratching at his foot.

Thanks to Oaken, Anna and Kristoff were able to stash their bags with necessities they may need during their journey to Sorenson's tower. Olaf was put in charge to make sure Sven stayed awake the entire time and lucky for them, he didn't _need_ to sleep, making the job a lot easier. Elsa also requested for Oaken to open up his post as a safe retreat in case any unaffected villagers wandered upon it. Kairi, Naminé, and Xion all got cloaks and gloves from Oaken as well, which would make the cold weather even more bearable than it was before.

"Anna, Kristoff, you ready?" Elsa asked the two of them, earning nods from both. "Kairi? Naminé? Xion? Are you sure you want to do this?"

Kairi nodded. "I'm just as responsible for cursing your kingdom, so we're not going anywhere until we lift it."

Elsa nodded, appreciative of Kairi's offer. She could see the connection between her and Sora just based on that. The two of them and their eagerness to help others seemed to rub off each other, almost like how Elsa and Anna's protective nature of one another rubbed off each other too. With everything ready, Kairi followed everybody else out of the cabin. As they set on their trail, she couldn't help but stop in her tracks again. It was the same unsettling feeling she got the last night while in the castle, like someone was following her.

**Kairi!**

_Sora?_

Kairi whipped around at the sound of Sora's voice calling her name. It literally sounded like he was right behind her, but there was still no sight of him. Was his heart reaching out to her to tell her something? Whatever it was, it was making her blood rush and her breathing grow heavy. It finally took Xion calling her name to snap her out of it. Kairi didn't want to brush it off right now, but with nothing to investigate, what could she do? She kicked a little bit of snow before running to catch up with everyone else.

Whatever this was, it was only a matter of time before it would catch up with her.


	41. Nattmara

**A/N: I know! I know! I've been slow with updates! Blame Animal Crossing! I have a problem!**

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Chapter 41: Nattmara

As was expected, the journey to Sorenson's tower proved to be a long one, and was only made more difficult with the presence of snow on the ground. The tower was located on top of a mountain, making it easy for everyone to keep track of their location. Kairi also had the compass on her watch to keep them on the right path when they first began in the woods where they lacked a noticeable trail. While travelling in the woods was nothing more than just a hike over bumpy terrain, the Heartless that spawned every now and then didn't make it any easier. Luckily, Kairi, Naminé, and Xion made mince meat out of them whenever they gave the group any trouble with Elsa lending a helping hand with her ice magic. Elsa was right, as long as they stuck together, everything would be fine.

Exiting the woods, there was a river that seemed to extend all the way through the forest and connected all the way toward the mountain. With the snow making it more difficult for the girls to travel in, Elsa suggested taking a break. Not to mention, leaving footprints in the snow wasn't a good idea. As the river roared past them, Elsa couldn't keep her eyes off it. Almost as if her powers were reacting for her, she could feel her hands growing cold. _I wonder_, Elsa thought in her head. She stepped on the river, causing ice large ice crystals to form below her feet and spread all across the body of water.

Kairi gasped as she watched the river freeze up before her eyes. She knew water was capable of freezing, but had never witnessed it, especially in such a dramatic way. Once the river was now just a long and clear sheet of ice, Elsa whirled her hands around, a flurry swirling around everyone's feet until ice skate blades formed underneath their boots, also made of ice. The idea was that they'd ice skate the rest of the way toward Sorenson's tower. Not only was it faster to skate, but they also didn't leave footprints. Skating proved to be a very fun and effective way for them to travel. Well, it was effect for _almost _everyone. Naminé and Xion both skated like naturals while Kairi...well...did a lot more slipping and sliding than anyone else. It was a curse of living on a tropical island where it never snowed.

"You know, freezing a river and skating up it was not the first idea I thought, but it's pretty clever!" Xion laughed as she twirled around.

"Y-Yeah...good for...YOU!" Kairi yipped as she nearly fell backwards.

"Uh...you okay back there?" Kristoff asked as he stopped in his tracks.

"Of course!" Kairi laughed sheepishly as her body wobbled in place.

Naminé sighed and shook her head. "Kairi, you look about as balanced as a newborn deer."

"No! I'm….FINE!" Within a flash of a second, Kairi slipped back and landed hard on her butt. "I swear, by the time I get back to the island, my butt is gonna be blue from all the bruising it's gotten."

"Come on, Kairi." Xion said as she skated closer to the fallen redhead. "Don't tell us you don't know how to ice skate."

"I've lived on an island my whole life, what do you think the answer to that question is?"

"The answer is a clear cut _no_." Kristoff filled them in as he walked over and picked up Kairi, tossing her over his shoulder.

"Hey! Kristoff! What's this about?" Kairi asked as she squirmed in his grasp.

"We've got a long way to go, you can't ice skate, and there's no time for lessons, so you get a free ride this time." Kristoff mumbled as he skated ahead to catch up with Anna and Elsa, who couldn't help but laugh at the situation.

Kairi groaned as she rested her chin on her hand. "This is embarrassing…"

Anna couldn't help but laugh at Kairi's expense. She knew Kristoff wasn't the most patient guy, but he also had the best intentions of trying to help her out. Naminé and Xion took full advantage of ice skating and turned it into an event, racing each other and twirling about. Naminé even tried a jump, albeit failing and nearly falling over. Lucky for her, Kristoff caught her and helped her regain her balance. With everyone seeming in good spirits for the first time in days, it only made it more obvious to Anna when she saw that Elsa was skating up ahead, making sure to keep the upcoming parts of the river frozen with her feet, but was also deep in thought with how quiet she was.

"What is it, Elsa?" Anna asked, taking notice of the change in her sister's demeanor

"Well, it's just something that crossed my mind as I was thinking about this Nightmare." Elsa explained before looking back at Kristoff, who was generous enough to at least give Kairi a piggyback ride instead of keeping her draping over his shoulder. "Kairi, if you helped read out the spell, how come nothing came out of it from your side?"

Kairi sighed, tapping her hand against Kristoff's shoulder while she thought it through. "Honestly, I'm just as confused too. Then again, my nightmares aren't usually anything physical, like Anna's wolf."

"What nightmares do you usually have?" Elsa asked.

"Usually...it's just...about the darkness…" Kairi said in a low tone. "I'm all alone in this place of nothingness. I feel cold, and pain…and suddenly, I feel myself drowning in nothing but darkness." She kept her face low, staring down at her hands. "I used to have this dream all the time when I was little, when I first arrived on the island. But, ever since I met Sora and Riku, I never had that nightmare anymore." She ran her hand along her arm, taking a deep breath. "Until...recently."

"Kairi…" Xion murmured. "I remember when you had the nightmare back in Twilight Town. Wasn't that the only time?" She asked, Kairi shook her head in response.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Naminé asked with concern in her voice.

"I didn't want to worry you, and I thought it wouldn't be a big deal."

"So, you had your nightmares when you were little too." Anna said in a soft tone.

Elsa stopped in her tracks and reached out, resting her hand on her sister's shoulder. "You've consistently had this nightmare for this long?"

"Y-Yeah. If I remember correctly, the first time I had the nightmare was the night that you...you know." Anna said as she pointed to her head, referring to an incident where Elsa accidentally struck her in the head with her ice powers.

"Right…"

"Elsa, do you ever have nightmares like the ones Anna and I have?" Kairi asked.

"Well, actually, I haven't had any nightmares since I was around eight years old. The last time I had one, I woke up and my entire room was suddenly a winter landscape." Elsa explained, shaking her head. "I felt so bad. Everything got wet and they had to bring in new furniture and carpets for me."

"Then, how did you get rid of the nightmares?" Naminé asked while tilting her head.

"Our parents taught me a few tricks. One in particular, our mother told me to imagine bunching up all of the nightmares and throwing them out the window. I used to pretend that when I balled them up, I would throw them and pretend to feed them to the constellations in the sky. Ever since then, I never once had another nightmare again."

Kairi chuckled as she looked up to the sky. "I remember my Grandma used to tell me stuff like that too. If I ever got scared, or had a nightmare, she'd always remind me that the light in my heart will always protect me. All I have to do is believe in it."

"Your light?" Elsa asked as she rested a hand against her own heart.

"Yeah. My grandma said it could be anything really. It could be a memory, something you treasure, or someone precious to you. She said as long as I believed in my light, it would always be there to guide me out of the darkness." Kairi let out a giggle as she brushed some hair behind her hear. "Ever since I first met thim, Sora's always been the light that's kept me safe."

Anna sighed as she walked beside Kristoff. "That's so sweet." She said, only to put on a smirk immediately after. "So, you two sound awfully _close_. Is he your boyfriend?"

"Uh...not...officially. At least...not yet." Kairi stammered while blushing.

"He will be once we're done rescuing him." Xion teased as she poked Kairi in the side. "These two are gonna be inseparable."

Kairi shook her head. "Oh come on, Sora's not like that. He'll wanna see his other friends just as much."

"I don't know, Kairi." Naminé chuckled. "_I feel strong with you, Kairi._" She recited in a dramatic masculine tone. "Guys don't just spill their guts like that, especially if they're like Riku."

"You know, she has a point." Kristoff noted. "You could ask my family for validation. They're love experts. Besides, speaking from experience, you'd be surprised what kind of effect a woman can have on a man. One minute, the most important thing is your ice business and then the next thing you know, you meet her, and then losing her becomes your biggest fear." He stole an affectionate glance from Anna, who giggled while resting her head on his shoulder.

"Everyone! Look, I see the mountain!" Elsa called back from ahead.

The base of the Miner's Mountain was anything but welcoming. There were signs everywhere waring travelers of the Huldrefolk and that danger was beyond this point. Passing by the mine and the warning signs, Elsa led everyone up the trail toward the top of the mountain where the tower awaited them. Although, the trail turned more into a climb as various rocks and cliffs stood in the way of their destination. They could've taken the hard way up, but Elsa had a much better idea. Using her ice magic, she created a staircase that saved the inexperienced travelers from struggling up and possibly falling.

The sun was starting to go down by the time they reached the top. It was quite a breathtaking sight with the dusk sky glowing of shades of pink and purple, but now wasn't the time to bask in the environment. Kairi and the girls followed Kristoff over to the tower that height-wise was nothing compared to Yen Sid's tower. After knocking a few times and not receiving an answer, Kristoff was about to use his pickaxe to take down the door. However, Xion saved him from doing any severe damage and just simply opened the door, letting the entire group in.

Was it illegal? Technically, yes, but this was no time to stand around and consider Arendelle laws about breaking and entering. Upon entering, everyone was greeted with an empty tower, but was cluttered with various pieces of furniture. Desks with paper scraps, glassware with colorful liquids, and tall bookshelves, loaded with books of various sizes and genres. There was a kitchenette with the stove on and something was cooking, but nobody seemed to notice.

"He's not here." Kristoff groaned.

"Now what?" Xion asked as she folded her arms.

Kairi thought for a moment, tapping her foot. "Well, the spell that Anna and I read out came from a book, so maybe there's a book here that'll tell us how to break the curse."

"There's so many of them." Naminé pointed out.

"Let's split up then." Kristoff suggested. "Xion, Naminé, don't three of us take upstairs. Anna, you, Kairi, and your sister can check the downstairs."

Elsa nodded affirmatively. "Good idea."

Kristoff, Xion, and Naminé took the second floor while Anna, Elsa, and Kairi all stayed on the bottom floor, scanning the bookshelves for anything that could lead to a clue regarding the Nightmare. It was easier said than done, as neither of them knew where to look. It's not like the books were disorganized, there were just a lot and nobody knew what kind of book to read when searching about Nightmares, especially since a lot of them were focused on different fields of science. In fact, judging by the amount of science books, the girls came to the conclusion that this guy was _really _into science, and the ceiling that was painted like a galaxy only helped that case.

"This mystic really likes the night sky." Anna noted as she gazed up at the ceiling.

"I noticed. The ceiling has many constellations. It even has my favorite, Ulf the Wolf." Elsa pointed out the stars that were in a shape that resembled a wolf.

"For a mystic, this guy sure has a lot of books on science." Kairi thought out loud. "Then again, Merlin's library is the same and he's a wizard." Her hand brushed along another shelf that contained titles of classic stories that she was familiar with. There was one she was unfamiliar with, but took it out and flipped through the pages. It appeared to be a journal of Sorenson's judging by the first-person writing.

_Oh my gosh, this guy's been to other worlds, _Kairi thought in her mind as she read through it. _This one says he visited a peculiar world where it was inhabited by anthropomorphic animals. One in particular, a fox who could do no wrong when it came to shooting with a bow and arrow, was a wanted criminal in the town of Nottingham. _There was even a sketch of the fellow beneath his description. _Huh, he doesn't look like a criminal. _Kairi's watch suddenly started to vibrate as the sketch started to glow. She could only stand and gaze at the watch suddenly scanning what appeared to be the sketch in the book before a bow and arrow icon appeared next to the lamp and thunderbolt icons on the watch.

"Wow…" Kairi murmured. "Wasn't expecting that."

"Fascinating, isn't it?" A low, raspy voice echoed from the top of the tower.

From the doorway of the tower stood a figure in the shadows. Kristoff, Xion, and Naminé hurried down to get closer to Anna, Elsa, and Kairi. He began slowly making his way, having a gruff look on his face and gripping an axe. The warm lighting in the tower could barely make out his figure as he got closer. Noticing the axe in his hand, each of the girls began silently praying that they'd make it out of here alive and that they wouldn't be killed by some crazy looking old man with an axe.

"H-Hello? Sorry, to intrude, but I'm Princess Anna and this is my sister, Elsa, Queen of Arendelle. W-We mean no harm, and we've come here looking for the _great _mystic Sorenson." The frightened princess attempted to reason with the old man.

"Sorenson?" He arched an eyebrow before looking at the axe. "Oh, you'll have to excuse me. I suppose my demeanor wasn't the most appropriate for greeting newcomers." He chuckled before clearing his throat and twisting his beard. "I am Sorenson, but I'm no mystic."

Elsa furrowed her eyebrows and lowered her arms. "But the villagers say you _are _a mystic, that you're an expert in myths and lore."

"Oh, but I am." Sorenson nodded as he walked over to the steaming pot, tasting his soup before adding a pinch of salt. "I am a scientist. Mythology and science are familiar friends-both seek for the _why _behind things. Both look to provide an explanation for the natural phenomena of the world around us. And all myth contain a kernel of hard truth."

"A scientist...that makes sense, actually." Kairi said before smiling widely. "You've never met a wizard named Merlin before, have you?"

Sorenson nearly dropped his spoon before clapping his hands together. "Ah, Merlin! The great and powerful wizard! Quite the experienced traveler, I must say, through time and space!" He explained while thrusting his arms up. Let me be the first to tell you ladies...and mountain man, that this world is a _tiny _piece of a much bigger universe! There is much to be discovered beyond this world we live in! Mark my words, I will find a way out through the power of science!"

"We wish you the best of luck, Sorenson, but in the meantime, we need your help. Arendelle has been cursed." Anna said in a low tone while resting her hand on his shoulder.

"We're working to undo the curse and thought you might know a way to do so." Naminé added in.

"Hmmm...sounds like we've got quite the story to tell. Gather 'round, everyone!" Sorenson took a seat at a table followed by everyone else. "Start from the beginning, not one detail left out!"

With everyone gathered around the table, each person, one by one, shared their experience with the curse. Anna and Kairi shared theirs with heavy hearts. Each of them confessed they had read the spell, they shared their reasons for becoming fascinated with the spell to begin with, and they warned the unaware Sorenson that the Nightmare had chased them all throughout the castle, but not before rampaging through the village and affecting the villagers that had fallen asleep prior to its creation.

"I see…" Sorenson murmured. He stood from the table and walked over to a shelf, climbing onto a stool to reach the top shelf. "I believe...we can find the answer in one of these books." He began pulling out and tossing books behind him until he found one with a slim leather cover that had block letters stamped across the cover. "Here it is! See for yourself."

"Nattmara…" Elsa read aloud. "I know that word."

"What does it mean?" Kristoff asked, studying the cover.

Sorenson waved Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff back over to the table, where he began to go through the book. "Nattmara often show up in the sagas of old, and those stories are often told to children as warning tales."

Kairi sighed, folding her hands together. "It's like the sailor's stories that get passed down on the island, to warn children about the dangers of sailing too far out."

"Another name for Nattmara is 'Nightmare', because that's what it is-the embodiment of our deepest ear." Sorenson continued, pointing to a photo of a child sleeping in bed. "Nightmares can take on a physical shape and exist outside of your mind. The act of burying fear is what manifests the Nattmara, and eventually, the fear is too big to keep inside. They can take the shape of anything, and this particular one seems to have taken the form of a wolf. Nattmara tend to roam the world, leaching energy from all living things. Their very presence can cause tres to twist away from them. They feed on fear, and so they see to create fear."

"I thought the Heartless were bad…" Xion mumbled.

Sorenson flipped to a page that contained an illustration of swirling dark matter. "Surely, you're familiar with the Heartless?" He asked, everyone nodding. "Much like the Heartless, the Nattmara are creatures of the dark and can turn itself into dark matter to slip through cracks-cracks in doors, and cracks within the heart. There is no escaping them, unless you're brave enough that there is no weakness for the Nattmara to enter through." He sighed, his mind trailing off into deep thought. "If a Nattmara runs loose for too long, then a kingdom and everyone in it can fall into an eternal nightmare sleep. As it grows more powerful, more will become afraid, and it will gorge itself on fear, until its size is uncontrollable." He tapped his fingers on the pages. "Or so the age-old myth goes."

While Sorenson had gone on about the Nattmara, Kairi found herself feeling light-headed. Maybe she was dehydrated? Or maybe she was feeling overheated? It was rather warm inside of the tower due to the weather outside. Kairi stood up and walked over to the window that was cracked, getting a bit of fresh air. As she started to lose track of what Sorenson was going on about, Kairi couldn't help but hear a faint whisper coming from the door. She was surprised that nobody else could hear it. Then again, everyone else was wrapped up in the talk of Arendelle's myths and legends. There was something about this whisper that was really...enticing, and almost hypnotizing.

Not saying a word to her friends, Kairi began to follow the voice out of the tower. Part of her didn't want to, and yet, she almost felt like she had no control over her mind and body. It was almost as if a fishing line was attached to her and slowly reeled her in. Even outside of the tower, the whispering was even more powerful. The voice was calling her name too. Who did this voice belong to? It was unfamiliar, and yet there was a familiar warmth in her heart as she began to follow it away from the tower. All while this was happening, the rest of the group remained in the tower, trying to figure out the mystery of the Nattmara, and not noticing at first that Kairi had snuck away.

"You sound like you don't belive in this myth at all." Xion noted, a puzzle expression on her face.

"That's because I don't believe it." Sorenson snorted as he leaned back, folding his arms.

"But didn't you just say you believed in magic?" Anna asked.

"Young princess, I only believe what my eyes have seen. I have yet to witness such a thing." He said while twirling his beard. "Merlin, that crazy old wizard opened my eyes to such magic. However, until I see this Nattmara for myself, it's nothing but a myth to me."

Elsa's face scrunched up as if he just insulted her and her friends. "We just told you what's been happening in Arendelle. Isn't that enough proof that the myth is real?"

"Not at all." Sorenson said as he shook his head. "What do they teach in schools these days? The Nattmara is a creature of myth, and like all myths, it's an explanation to a greater mystery. In this instance: where do nightmares come from?"

"Chirithy said they come from the deepest darkest depths of our hearts." Naminé answered, standing up from her seat. "That's why Anna is the only one who can get rid of the Nattmara, because it came from her heart."

Sorenson sighed, rubbing his forehead with his hand. "That's not the point I'm trying to get across. Let's look at this from a different way. You've seen the signs for the mines that warn to be wary of Huldrefolk, right?" He asked, the group nodded in response. "The mines were abandoned nearly twenty years ago, because of strange and mysterious things that kept going wrong. Cave-ins started to occur with increased frequency, and miners that had worked their entire lives in these tunnels began to get lost. Now, what was the explanation?"

Anna thought for a moment, before speaking up to answer. "The Huldrefolk, mysterious elf-like people that live under rocks throughout Arendelle. They're not bad, but they're known to be mischievous and have a reputation for being thieves. Sometimes they're known as collectors or borrowers of lost things. The Huldrefolk is a bedtime story that parents tell their young ones."

"Exactly. The miners believed that the Huldrefolk were angry that they were impeding on their territory, that _they _were the ones causing the cave-ins to scare humans away! But the mystery behind it was that the mine was overworked. The Huldrefolk were used as a warning to keep miners from damaging the mine any further. Nothing mythical about it, just good old-fashioned greed." Sorenson heaved a sigh as he finished debating his side of the theory.

Elsa bit down her lip as her eyes darted between Anna and Sorenson. She started to remember why they came here in the first place and rested her arms on the table. "Sorenson, say the Nattmara was real and not a myth. Say it was a real creature that only my sister could defeat to save Arendelle. As a man who has experience with magic, would you know of a spell my sister could use?"

"I know no magic. I've said it once before, and I'll say it again. I am a man of science. My experience is nothing more than an encounter with a great wizard. My worldly travels were thanks to a hand-built ship." Sorenson showed what appeared to be an airship outside the window. "Quite nifty. You might invest in one yourselves should you decide to see other worlds."

Xion rolled her eyes. "You don't say."

"Enough of the philosophy lessons." Kristoff groaned in frustration. "Look, do you know of any way, mythical or not, that we can defeat a Nattmara? And we're in a hurry. Arendelle is cursed, the people are having nightmares, and the animals are sick."

"Well, that's easy enough." Sorenson answered as he pulled out another book titled _Mythica Explainia_. "You can only defeat a myth with a thing of myth. But it's not like the Revolute exists. None of it truly does."

"Revolute…" Anna murmured.

"You mean like the sword from the Saga of Aren?" Kristoff asked.

"Now, we're getting somewhere." Xion sighed of relief before taking a look around noticing somebody missing from the room. "Hey, where'd Kairi go? Did you guys see her duck out?"

Kristoff smirked while leaning against the wall. "She probably got sick of listening to Philosophy 101 and escaped for her own good."

Naminé started for the door with Xion behind her. "We'd better go check on her. It's late and she might get lost in the woods."

"We'll wait for you here." Elsa said affirmatively.

Kairi had been following the voice for not too long before Xion and Naminé noticed she was missing, but was still a decent distance away. As she made it into the woods, the whisper had stopped. Kairi began to wonder if she had wasted her time. Maybe it was just her imagination? Maybe she was just tired? Maybe she was just overwhelmed and scatterbrained? Kairi heaved a sigh before turning to return back to the tower. She may have been done with playing games and being made a fool, but whatever was playing with her psyche, it definitely wasn't finished with her.

**Kairi!**

It was Sora's voice! Kairi heard it! She swore she did! It was clear too. Kairi couldn't mistaken that voice for anyone else's. Even when she went a full year without memories of him, the instant she heard it, she knew it was him. Kairi stopped in her tracks and looked back, anxiously scanning the area for any sign of Sora. He had to be here, right? Yet, there was no sign of him. There wasn't any sign of any other human figure in the area. Kairi was alone in the woods. She wanted to just ignore it, but something in her heart made her not want to just bury it. She had been searching for Sora for a long time now.

**Kairi! Where are you? Kairi!**

"Sora?"

**Kairi! **

Kairi gasped at the sound of leaves crunching in the distance. She looked in the direction of the sound and could vaguely see a figure walking away from her. It had to be Sora! She heard his voice, and there was a person where his voice was coming from. Had she finally found him for good this time? Kairi began jogging in the direction of the figure, the cold weather filling her lungs and making it harder to keep up her breathing that was already plagued by her rush of overwhelming emotions. She wouldn't know how to feel until she was with Sora again. Kairi tried to keep up, brushing branches and brushes out of her way. If Sora really was here, nothing was going to stop her from seeing him.

Upon pushing through some trees and finding herself in a more open area, Kairi came to stop and had a good look at the figure in front of her. There he was, completely the same from head to toe. His brown spiky hair still defied gravity, his lean and slender body that now stood a couple inches taller than her, and his face, one that retained a boyish charm even at the age of sixteen. Kairi gasped, gripping a tree branch as he began to turn around. This had to be a trick, right? This was the question any average person would ask themselves, but not Kairi. She believed what her eyes saw, and her eyes couldn't lie. They were gazing upon the boy she had travelled so far to find, the boy who gave up everything for her, the boy she loved so dearly.

"Sora!" Kairi cried out his name before sprinting forward and throwing her arms around his body. She held onto him tighter than she even did when the two of them reunited before their showdown against Xehanort. All she cared about was being close to him, inhaling his natural scent, and feeling the warmth of his body against hers. It was all she ever wanted...or was it? "Sora?" Kairi muttered his name softly as she released her embrace and looked up. She cupped his face in her hands to get a look at him. There was definitely something off about him. His eyes were not their normal ocean blue and he didn't have his unforgettable smile that could reach anybody's heart.

"**Kairi…" **Sora looked up after whispering her name. His black eyes widened, his jaw dropped, and his eyebrows furrowed, as if he looked like he was going to cry. **"Kairi…" **He choked up.

Kairi shook her head, trying to shake off the pain she felt from seeing Sora in this state. "Sora," She said softly as she ran her hand through his hair. "It's okay. It's me. I'm here." Her eyes filled with tears, hoping she could reach him. "The Nightmare got you, but I'll make it all better, and then we'll go home...I promise." She whispered as she gazed into his lifeless eyes.

Sora, staring into Kairi's eyes, started hyperventilating before lurching his head up and letting out an unsettling scream. As he finished it up, his hands gripped Kairi's arms, keeping a tight grip on them. Kairi grunted, feeling his nails digging into her, but she didn't give up. She knew Sora was having a nightmare, and he needed her, much like how she's needed him in the past. Kairi looked at his face, watching as he shook his head, moaning and groaning as if Xehanort's thirteen Keyblades were all stabbing him in the back at once all while being forced to watch her die before his eyes once again.

"Sora…" Kairi grunted, fighting through her pain. Dark matter started to surround her the harder she tried to fight. "Please...you're hurting me…" She pleaded, hoping she could reach out to him.

Chirithy popped out to get a look at the situation, only for him to gasp the sight. "Kairi! Snap out of it! That's not Sora!"

"What…?"

"It's not the real Sora! It's another Nightmare!" He said in a distressed tone. "It's _your _Nightmare! It took the form of Sora!"

Kairi shook her head in denial. "No, it can't be!"

"You have to fight it, Kairi!" Chirithy encouraged her. "If you don't, you'll be consumed by the Nightmare!"

Kairi grunted softly as she could feel her body growing more numb, the longer Sora held his grip on her. She didn't want to believe that this wasn't the real Sora. She began silently praying that Sora would just snap out of it and take her into his arms like he had done many times before. When the reality settled in that this Sora was indeed what Chirithy had described, a Nightmare, Kairi gazed into his eyes, her jaw dropping as her body shook. She struggled to move her arm so she could summon Destiny Embrace. _The only way he could be real, is if he snapped out of this and realized he was hurting me..._Kairi thought in her head.

With a tight grip on her Keyblade, Kairi yanked herself out of Sora's grip and swung her Keyblade at him, knocking him back strongly and causing his body to collide with a tree. Upon his body's impact against the tree, Kairi let out an involuntary gasp, as if she were concerned about whether she hurt the boy or not. After he collapsed onto the ground, she carefully tiptoed forward, reaching out to see if he was still alive. Before Kairi could touch him, Sora jerked his head up, his eyes glowing yellow now. He let out a hiss that was comparable to a feline as his body suddenly changed to nothing but black, with what appeared to be blue veins circulating throughout his body.

If Kairi didn't believe this Sora was a Nightmare before, she did now. She stepped back as quick as she could, but couldn't get out if his way fast enough. He dissolved into the ground before respawning right behind her and striking her with his own Keyblade. Kairi cried out in pain as she collapsed forward. She instinctively whirled onto her back and blocked his next attack, then using the force in her arms and legs to toss him back behind her. This Nightmare was much more aggressive than the wolf. Sora got up from the ground before charging toward Kairi, ready to unleash whatever rage was built up within him. All she could do was block him, as he was way too fast and his attacks were as strong if not stronger than hers.

As Kairi used her barrier to block Sora's attacks she crouched down and slid underneath, knocking him off his feet before casting a number of Pearl spells at him. They did damage, but not even close to enough. Sora hopped back up and countered, hitting Kairi hard across the front and knocking her back against a boulder. She had trouble catching her breath as the impact against the boulder knocked the wind out of her. Kairi couldn't decide which she hated more, the fact that her worst nightmare happened to take the form of Sora, or the fact that she couldn't even fight this thing off without it beating her half to death.

Not having many options left at the moment, Kairi had no choice but to cast a Stop spell and escape. If she didn't get out of there, it was going to kill her. At least with the Nightmare being frozen in place now, Kairi could get out of view. Maybe if she was lucky, she could get far enough away that he wouldn't even know where she was. It was comforting once Kairi sprinted out of the woods back to the open area where the tower was located. Not only was she out of the woods, but she took a look back and saw that the Nightmare Sora hadn't followed her. Even if he wasn't following her, it didn't make her feel any better about the situation.

"He _was _a nightmare…" Kairi said before collapsing onto her knees. "How could I…?"

"Kairi!"

Hearing the call of her name, but not expecting it, Kairi jerked her head and saw Naminé and Xion both running toward her. A part of her was relieved to see them, but a part of her also wished that they just stayed at the tower and didn't notice her leave. She had already seen the damage that Anna's Nightmare had caused and she didn't want to get her friends involved with hers if she didn't have to.

"You okay?" Xion asked as she knelt down by Kairi. "We noticed you wandered off."

"Yeah, what happened?" Naminé asked with concern in her voice.

Kairi shook her head. "Just...another Nightmare…"

Xion and Naminé looked at each other, both having the same idea. They knew Kairi had been struggling this whole journey, and whatever this next struggle was, they also knew that she needed them with her, whether she said it or not. Naminé rubbed her hand on Kairi's back as the redhead held her head low, trying to catch her breath from the intense encounter she had with the Nightmare and also trying to hold back tears.

_**I thought I had finally accepted your sacrifice for me, and that you'd do it again. But for some reason, I continued to feel pain. Maybe, there was more to my pain than just missing you. Maybe, I was homesick. Or maybe, I was starting to...forget...**_

"It was him...I swear it was him…" Kairi softly said.

Chirithy hopped off Kairi's shoulder to look sincerely into her eyes. "Kairi, that was the darkness manipulating your mind. You have to be careful. If you didn't fight back, the darkness could've swallowed you entirely."

"Chirithy's right." Naminé nodded in agreement. "Your heart may be pure light, but that only makes you a bigger target of the darkness."

"Okay, I get it." Kairi said in a somewhat harsh tone as she stood up. "I'm not stupid." She murmured as she began walking in the other direction, keeping her head low.

"We never said that, Kairi…" Chirithy noted.

"Yeah, we're just worried about you." Xion explained, causing Kairi to stop in her tracks. "You're our friend and we don't want anything to happen to you."

Kairi sighed, not wanting to brush off what Xion had said. She appreciated the support and how her friends felt toward her, but she also began to question it.

"_**We're just worried about you," Xion said that day. It was here that I started to realize that all my friends had done was worry about me. When would this stop? I didn't need or want people to worry about me. I wanted and needed them to trust me. **_

"Sorry...let's just go catch up with the others. Where are Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff?" Kairi apologized.

"They're still at the tower. Sorenson was still talking to them about Anna's Nightmare." Xion answered as she tilted her head in the direction they came from. "Let's go back. Right now, we have to stick together."

Kairi nodded, leading Xion and Naminé back to the tower. She had never been so eager to be back indoors again, away from her Nightmare. Unbeknownst to her though, the worst was yet to come. The Nightmare Sora watched Kairi from a distance before shifting into dark matter that crawled through the ground with a number of Neoshadow Heartless travelling along with it. It travelled slowly, giving the girls enough time to return back to Sorenson's tower and without any more trouble, despite looking somewhat beat up.

"Kairi? You okay?" Elsa asked. "We were wondering where you ran off to."

"Sorry...I just...needed some air. What did I miss?" Kairi apologized while tugging on some of hre hair.

"We think we might have figured out how we can defeat the Nattmara." Anna explained with a mixture of enthusiasm and anxiousness in her voice. "Remember the Saga of Aren? Well, Aren had a sword called the Revolute. He was said to have defeated a mythical beast with his sword. If what Chirithy said is true, and I have to be the one to slay the Nattmara, then I need to find that sword."

"Sounds simple enough!" Naminé reacted with relief.

"Yeah, except for we have _no _idea where this sword is." Kristoff said with his arms folded.

"We'll figure it out." Anna said confidently. "We have to..._I _have to. This might be our only chance to free Arendelle from this curse." She continued to flip through the book. "There has to be _something _in here that hints us to where the sword is located."

Sorenson couldn't help but burst into laugher. "I'm sorry, but it's unlikely that Aren _himself _ever existed-or his mighty sword of myth. It's likely that there was a strong warrior from way back when, but he probably never met the sun or faced a great dragon, or carved out the Arenfjord." His laughed faded as a serious expression painted across his face. "It's just a legend-like the Huldrefolk, or the mountain trolls."

"The trolls exist, they raised me." Kristoff said in a defensive tone.

"Guys!" Kairi intervened. "Instead of debating over this, let's just figure out where the sword is. We're wasting time."

"Kairi's right." Elsa nodded in agreement, taking advantage of her position in power. "Anna, what have you found?"

"This…" Anna shifted the book to Elsa.

As it turned out, during Kairi's disappearance, Anna had done some research in regard to the Nattmara. She had learned new information about the creature such as trolls being afraid of it, which would explain why they had gone missing when Kristoff tried to visit recently. It also explained everyone was perfectly safe during the pilgrimage to Sorenson's tower during the day. Did that mean it hated _all _light sources? Kairi thought about that possibility as she remembered how the Nightmare Sora reacted her Pearl spells that were a pure light source and usually worked really well against the Heartless. However, there was nothing on how a Nattmara could be created from a spell. Maybe reading the spell didn't have an effect after all? It was all confusing.

Anna continued to flip through the pages until she came upon an entry regarding the legendary Huldrefolk. The information on the mythical people was the same that she and Elsa had heard already. They lived in the shadows, were known to play pranks, and had a way of stealing or borrowing items that are lost. The stealing of lost items garnered Kairi's interest and had her wondering if maybe they found her seashell piece. Now with the idea of having to find the hidden sword, Revolute, Anna and her sister couldn't help but take that statement to heart.

"That which is lost…" Elsa repeated. "If we can find the Huldrefolk, they might know the location of the Revolute."

Sorenson sighed and shook his head. "Your majesty, with all due respect, you're absolutely crazy for taking such a quest."

"Yep. Sad, but true." Elsa said with a shrug. "It's...kind of hereditary."

"I'd expect nothing less from Arendelle's queen." He said with an admirable grin. "All I can hope is that you prove me wrong."

"We'll have no trouble with that." Xion smirked as she put her hands on her hips.

"You know," Sorenson said to Anna and Elsa. "Your mother came here once, seeking answers. In fact, she was the one who painted my ceiling."

"Answers? Answers for what?" Anna asked.

The sudden loud creaking of the door was enough to break up all conversation. With all sets of eyes on the door, dark matter start seeping through the door's cracks. Not only through the door's, but also through various cracks on the wall. It dripped down almost like black mud was slowly trying to fill the tower. Anna huddled close to Elsa and Kristoff while Kairi stood in a defensive stance in front of Xion and Naminé. Most of the group was confused, but Kairi recognized the dark matter and her heart sank. It was the same dark matter that the Nightmare Sora was made up of, which only meant one thing.

"What's happening?" Anna cried out in despair.

"It's like what the book said about the Nattmara!" Sorenson answered as he crept back. "It can take the form of dark matter and travel through cracks."

"And look!" Naminé pointed out the Neoshadow Heartless that rose up from the ground. "The Heartless are in on this too!"

"We can take 'em!" Kairi said as she drew her Keyblade. "The rest of you get to safety!"

Sorenson took off running upstairs with Kairi, Naminé, and Xion charging at the Neoshadows. Elsa also began shooting ice spells, freezing a good amount of Heartless. The goal was to try and not cause collateral damage to Sorenson's tower, but at this point, it was going to be close to impossible. The Neoshadows crawled under book shelves, tables, and even onto the walls before taking a chance to attack one of the girls. Xion and Naminé were perfectly capable of helping Elsa take them out on their own, but Kairi, who wasn't surprised by this, had bigger fish to fry.

The Nightmare Sora respawned in the tower and began to charge ata Kairi once again. This time, Kairi was more prepared. She blocked his attacks and knocked him back before casting a Thunder spell. Sora stuck his Keyblade in the air and absorbed her spell before shooting it right back at her. In the flash of a second, Naminé dashed to Kairi's side and cast Reflera to sent the magic elsewhere in the tower. She yelped as Sora nearly snuck up behind her and swung his Keyblade, only for Kairi to get between the two of them and block his attacks.

"Kairi? What's…" Anna gasped as she saw the Nightmare Sora gazing harshly into her eyes. "Is that…?"

"No!" Kairi struggled as she shoved him back. "That's not Sora!" She rolled out of the way before kicking him in the gut, knocking him against a bookshelf that had books collapsing right on top of him from the shelves. "That's a Nightmare…" She looked back at Anna with sadness in her eyes. "It's _my _Nightmare."

Anna backed away with Kristoff wrapping his arms around her instinctively, trying to stay out of the way of the Heartless. Kairi decided to finally be a little more aggressive and lunged at the Nightmare Sora, swinging her Keyblade at him, hoping she could land at least a few hits on him. He was really good at blocking her attacks before disappearing into the floor again and shooting from right below her, knocking her down onto the ground. Naminé knelt down and cast Cure on her to get her back on her feet while Xion attempted a Sonic Blade on Sora, only for him to dodge roll out of the way and counter, striking Xion down as well.

With the Neoshadows taken care of, Elsa saw that both Kairi and Xion were down with Naminé healing them. She locked eyes with Sora before hurrying between him and the girls and shooting ice at his feet. The lack of traction caused him to slip, giving Elsa a chance start freezing his entire body, beginning with his feet and working her way up until he was completely frozen. She looked toward Naminé, who knew exactly what Elsa was thining. With Kairi and Xion both healing just fine, Naminé hopped up and cast Aerora at the frozen Nightmare. It sent him out the door and far down a path of ice that Elsa created. Now completely immobile, Sora had no way to attack anyone, especially with Elsa sealing the door shut with her ice.

"Is he gone?" Anna asked.

"For now…" Kairi caught her breath. "If this was anything like the last time I saw him, he'll be back. It'll be just like the Nattmara that was chasing us at the palace. A Nightmare isn't so easily defeated." She held up Destiny's Embrace and held a strong gaze on it. "Just like Anna will have to be the one to vanquish her Nightmare, I must do the same for mine."

"We should at least try and make way toward the mines. We can at least get a good start before your Nightmare catches up with us, Kairi." Elsa suggested. "I don't know how long my ice magic will last."

Kairi nodded, not saying much. "Yeah…" She brushed some hair behind her ear and bit down on her lip. "Never thought I'd ever _run _from Sora, that's for sure."

"Well, that's not the _real _Sora, so you're still in the clear." Xion said encouragingly. "At least the Nightmare version has got to be a lazy bum like the real one if he takes this long to catch up." She laughed, hoping to lighten the mood. It didn't work. "Sorry…"

Before anybody could finally take a deep breath and relax for a moment, there was another disturbing sound that echoed throughout the tower. It was a banging sound this time. Something was smacking against the door and was strong enough that the ice was starting to crack.

"Uh...that doesn't sound good…" Kristoff murmured softly.

After a few more attempts at breaking through the ice, a wave of dark matter broke through, shattering pieces of ice all over the place. Everyone shielded themselves from being cut from the sharp edges of the shards before watching the matter shapeshift into the Nightmare creature that had been following them since its creation. It was the wolf, still as large and threatening as it was at the palace, with it being so tall that its head scraped along the hand painted ceiling. The claws dug into the ground, flicking pieces of wood as it drew its feet back to step forward. If the Nightmare Sora gave them trouble, the wolf was about to make things worse.

"Nattmara!" Anna cried out.

Acting upon her first instinct, Elsa ran in front and created a wall of ice between her and the Nattmara. Even if it wouldn't last forever, she figured it would at least give them a moment to think. The Nattmara had learned its lesson from the last time and burst right through the ice wall, making a flurry of Elsa's wall. With the wall not working, Elsa decided her next best option was to just try and attack it dead on with her ice magic. While she was working on that, Sorenson had searched around his tower for a solution and saw numerous vials and beakers of chemical compounds, ones that he would never try to mix. That was when it hit him.

"Everyone, shield your eyes!" Sorenson yelled. He threw the vials at the wolf, a bright white light flashing as a result of the various chemicals mixing together. The light, although it didn't harm the Nattmara, at least seemed to irritate it enough to give Sorenson time to lead everyone else out of harm's way. "This way! Upstairs!" He directed them.

On the second floor, there was a window that was large enough for each person to climb out of and stand safely on a deck that overlooked the mountain. While helping everyone through the window, Sorenson noticed a large tablecloth draped over. His eyes darted between the table cloth and a wire that stretched all the way down the base of the mountain where the mines were located, getting an idea. Sorenson asked Kristoff to help him tear off pieces of the cloth and hand them out.

Thanks to Sorenson's plan, everything seemed to be okay, but in reality, everything was about to get worse. Anna hopped back inside and looked down from the second floor to see Elsa trying to hold the Nattmara back with her ice. In theory, it should've worked, but in reality, the Nattmara was growing larger the more Elsa used her magic. The impact of the creature's body hitting the walls caused the tower to shake, nearly knocking most of the group off their feet. Anna's eyes widened as the now much larger Nattmara swiped at Elsa, who continued to thwart off the creature, unaware of the growth spurt it was experiencing.

"Elsa!" Anna cried out from above. "Elsa, stop! Your magic! It's making it _stronger_!" Unfortunately, between the tearing of the cloth and the snarling of the Nattmara, Elsa couldn't hear her sister.

"She can't hear her, Kairi!" Naminé pointed out.

Kairi studied Elsa's intense expression as she stayed focused on the Nattmara. She brought her Keyblade out. She didn't want to do this, but didn't have much of a choice considering how much noise was being created. Kairi aimed Destiny's Embrace at Elsa's hand and shot a small spark, just enough to get her attention, but not really harm her.

"Ow!" Elsa yelped as she held her hand. She looked back and scowled upon seeing Kairi's Keyblade aimed at her. "Kairi? What are you doing?"

"It was for your own good! Your magic was making the Nattmara stronger! The only way out of here is to escape!"

"Come on, Sorenson has a plan!" Xion urged the girls over to the wire.

Frustrated with the situation, Elsa finally fled from the Nattmara and hurried up the stairs. The NIghtmare attempted to lunge at her, causing horrific damage to the wooden steps. The impact caused the second floor to shake even more aggressively, causing Elsa to nearly lose her footing. Kairi and Anna both helped her up and out the window, where Sorenson was using pieces of table cloth to make harnesses. Using the wire that stretched from the tower and down to the mountain's base, each person would use their cloth harness to zip line down to safety.

"Okay, you're all strapped in. Go ahead and climb up." Sorenson directed everyone.

Anna was the first one to climb onto the railing. "W-Wait a second! You can't be serious!"

"Okay, on my count!" Kairi said as she hopped onto the railing and rested her hands behind the obviously nervous Anna's back. "Ready? Three...two...one...jump!"

After a bit of a push from Kairi, Anna began zipping down, screaming from the adrenaline. Elsa went next, then Kairi, followed by Xion and Naminé, with Kristoff and Sorenson picking up the rear. It was a much quicker alternative to just climbing down the mountain or running down an ice staircase. Despite trying to escape from the Nattmara, Kairi got full enjoyment from zip lining, being reminded of a rollercoaster. While she was enjoying the thrill, Naminé was trying not to freak out from heights, while Xion's table cloth was unfortunately worn, resulting in her harness snapping and sending her plummeting down.

"XION!" Naminé shouted as she reached out for her falling friend. Having no time to think, she drew her Keyblade and cast Aerora down below Xion. The wind tornado that the spell created was strong enough to propel Xion back up. While her tablecloth was torn, her only way of safety was to grip Naminé's Keyblade and ride it out. "I've got you, Xion! Just don't let go!"

"Thanks, Nami!" Xion called up from below, still trying to catch her breath from the adrenaline-inducing fall.

Upon getting closer to the base of the mountain, Anna noticed that there was a large tree that the wire was attached to. Surely, if she collided with the tree as the speed she was going, she'd break a few ribs. If she collided with the tree, that means everyone behind her would collide right into her, causing more injuries. There had to be a safer alternative for their landing. Anna took a quick second to remember when she and Kristoff journeyed up the North Mountain and had to jump all the way down. The snow was deep enough that cushioned their fall like a pillow. If they were going to use snow, they had to be quick.

"Snow!" Anna yelled back at her sister. "Elsa! We need snow!"

Elsa, noticing the tree that they were approaching, shot her arm out, creating a large hill of snow below them. Once she felt like there was enough, she called out for everyone to cut their harnesses. Kairi, Xion, and Naminé were confused, but decided to trust her once they saw the tree. Xion only had to let go of the Keyblade while Naminé and Kairi both had to cut their harnesses from the wire. Anna and Elsa also cut their wires, as well as Kristoff and Sorenson once they saw all of the girls doing it. Much to everyone's relief, Anna's plan of using snow as a cushion worked and each person landed safely.

"Everyone okay?" Elsa asked as she stood up.

Kairi nodded, holding her head. "Yeah, just a little brain freeze." She and Naminé helped Xion up and the snow off each other. "You okay, Xion?"

"Yeah…" Xion heaved a sigh. "At least I don't have to go to the bathroom anymore…"

Kristoff helped Anna up before looking back toward the mountain, worry painted across his face. "That thing is following us…"

"And now with mine, there's two of them." Kairi noted.

Xion folded her arms and shook her head. "We can only hope the two of them don't decide to team up on us."

"Chirithy, any input on this?" Kairi asked.

"Well…" Chirithy began to say as he climbed onto her shoulder. "The good news is that these Nightmares come from two different hearts. Because of this, they are unaware of each other's existence. In other words, they won't associate with each other."

Naminé brushed her bangs and sighed of relief. "Well, that's good."

"But, that bad news is Nightmares will attack whatever source of life they see, so they'll both attack you." Chirithy added in.

"Great," Xion said sarcastically. "They might as well just gang up on us."

"Splitting up from the others might help since your Nightmare will automatically go after you, Kairi, and Anna's will go after her." Chirithy suggested.

Kairi thought for a moment. "The only thing is Elsa wants us to stick together. Anna has no way to defend herself other than Elsa's magic and we saw what happened when she tried to attack it." She took a deep breath, feeling a headache pounding against her skull from everything. "We can't just leave them."

"Look!" Anna pointed toward the mountain where the dark matter was continuing to rush down the mountain and in their direction. "It's coming for us!" She looked behind and noticed the opening to the mines, all accompanied by warning signs, waring travelers of the Huldrefolk. "The mines! Let's go hide in here!"

"The mines? They're not safe!" Sorenson argued. "There's cave-ins and toxic air-" He was cut off by the Nattmara's howl.

"Sorenson, this may be our only chance to safety right now." Elsa said firmly, directing everyone to the mines. "Everyone quick! "

Each person ducked into the mines, ignoring all the warning signs, and being able to bust down all the wooden planks that blocked the entrance thanks to Kristoff using his pickaxe and the girls using their Keyblades. If their previous encounters with both Nightmares taught anyone anything, it was that they had made it out of the freezer and into the frying pan. It was only a matter of time until either the Nattmara or Nightmare Sora would confront them again.

Whenever that time was, neither Anna or Kairi were prepared for it.

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**A/N: Welp, just found out that I'm gonna be out of work for a few more weeks, so hopefully I can get more chapters out quicker! Thanks for the support guys, and please stay safe and healthy out there!**


	42. Hidden Shadows

**A/N: Hope ya'll are doing okay during this crazy time! In the meantime, here's the next chapter!**

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Chapter 42: Hidden Shadows

Between the darkened caves and the ice wall that blocked the Nattmara from entered the mines, Kairi and Anna finally felt like they and their friends could finally have a safe place to take a breather. Yet, they also didn't waste time trying to figure out where to continue their journey. Within the mines, there were numerous passages. In this situation, it was a classic maze. Taking the wrong way could result them in getting lost or worse, being killed. Kristoff shined his lantern closer to each passage, hoping one of them will hint towards being the right path, but instead, they all looked identical, each one leading into pure darkness.

"Which way do we go?" Anna asked, scratching her head.

Xion observed all three paths before licking her finger and holding it up, leaving both Naminé and Kairi starting at her confused. "What are you doing?" They asked.

"Well…" She began to explain. "Axel and Roxas always said if you're lost, follow the direction of the wind."

"And…?"

"I got nothing…" Xion said with a sigh.

"Wait...does anyone else feel that?" Kairi asked as she tapped her foot on the ground.

Naminé nodded as she bounced in place. "I do!"

"So do I. Kristoff, can you shine your lantern down?" Elsa requested.

As requested, Kristoff shone his lantern down by Kairi and Naminé's feet. Much to their surprise, the girls were standing on none other than tracks! Specifically, they were mine cart tracks! Anna couldn't help but wonder if maybe they should follow them. Elsa agreed, especially when it seemed like the tracks were only following down one passage. Using the logic that the mine carts had to end up somewhere safe for humans like an entrance or exit of a cave, Elsa lead everybody down the far right passage with Kristoff keeping the lantern low in order to keep track of the tracks.

Upon following the tracks, Anna gasped at a structure that was hidden in the darkness up ahead. The dim light of the lantern revealed that it was indeed a train of mine carts, two carts specifically attached to each other. Everyone seemed to have the same idea that they might be able to ride the carts through, and it would not only keep them far away from the Nattmara, but also save them time. According to Kairi, who was keeping track of the time on her watch, it was about 1:30 in the morning, indicating that in only a few hours, the sun would rise on their last day to try and break the curse before it became permanent.

"Ta-da! Your chariot awaits, ladies…" Kristoff dramatically presented the carts. "And Sorenson."

"At least it's better than walking." Xion said as she brushed her hand against the dusty wood.

"Is it safe?" Naminé asked as she kicked the wheels. "It looks like these wheels are older than Ansem the Wise."

Anna shrugged her shoulders before climbing into the back car. "Well, at this point, we have two options. We are either in danger of a mine cart accident or in danger of getting caught by the Nattmara."

After thinking for a moment, Xion hopped into the front car. "I'm good with a little adrenaline ride."

"Me too." Kairi nodded.

Once everyone had hopped into the mine cart, Kristoff and Sorenson both got behind the back cart and started pushing it to try and get a good start, but even that was too easy for them. They were able to get the cart moving a little bit only for the the rusty wheels to come to a stop. At first, Kristoff thought maybe the wheels where too rusty, wishing he had some oil on him, but then he realized that if the wheels were too rusty to move, they wouldn't have already done so in the first place.

"Why isn't it working?" Elsa asked in an irritated tone.

"I...don't...know!" Kristoff grunted as he kept on struggling to push the carts forward.

"Uh...Kristoff? I think I see your problem." Anna pointed out with a sheepish giggle.

Right below the men's line of vision was a rope that as attached to the mine carts, obviously in place to make sure they didn't roll away on their own and with the intention of the miners coming back for it later. Judging by how dusty the cart was and how rusty the wheels were, Elsa had come to a conclusion that whoever this cart belonged to, they weren't coming back and asked Naminé to use a Fire spell to burn the rope. She was glad to and pointed her Keyblade, igniting a little spark before the rope started to burn its threads slowly.

Like all of their good ideas so far, this one came with bad timing. There was a violent tremor inside the mine, causing Kristoff, who sat behind Anna in the cart, to look back. The cave had suddenly grown darker than it once was, now not having any light source from the outside world. The sounds of snarling and howling bounced off the walls, as did the unpleasant sound of scraping against the walls and ceilings. Judging by that alone, everyone knew the Nattmara had broken through Elsa's ice wall and was slowly making its way into the mines, even if it was struggling to fit its oversized body in.

"Uh...guys? We gotta go." Kristoff warned, tapping the side of the cart.

"Come on, Naminé!" Kairi and Xion encouraged her.

Naminé sighed. "I'm going as fast as I can! I don't control how fast a rope burns!" She mentally encouraged the rope to burn faster until the last bit finally snapped. Normally, this would be when the mine carts would start moving, but unfortunately, they didn't move an inch. "Okay...why are we not moving?"

"Are the wheels stuck?" Kairi asked as she began to jiggle her body in the cart.

"We're too heavy for them!" Elsa cried out.

Anna sighed, getting more anxious as she could hear the Nattmara storming for them. "Maybe if we rock a bit-"

"No need to." Sorenson said, cutting her off.

With a confident smile, Sorenson launched himself out of the cart, taking a bit of the weight off, and making it just light enough for the mine carts to start moving forward on their own. With the cart leaving him behind, Sorenson did the only thing he could do, he sprinted back toward the entrance of the mines, toward the Nattmara.

"Sorenson, no!" Anna yelled, reaching out for him.

With the cart able to move now, it started off moving slow, but the more it traveled at the _slight _incline, the more momentum it gathered. Kairi felt very relieved riding the mine cart until it suddenly dipped down, plunging down a steep hill, helping the carts achieve top speed in no time at all. Everyone held onto the sides as the cart barreled down the tracks, the vibration of the wheels against the tracks creating a booming sound that tuned just about everyone out. To Kairi, the speed wasn't the scary aspect. It was no more than riding an intense wooden rollercoaster at Destiny Islands' own amusement park. It was the fact that she couldn't see ahead of her that freaked her out.

The cart twisted and turned, albeit roughly. It screeched through jolting turns and sharp twists. Each one of them threatened to buck them out of the cart. This time, unlike a coaster, there were no safety restraints preventing them from flying out, leaving the group to rely on using their body weight and strength to stay in. It occurred to Elsa that they were also probably going way too fast for their own good, especially considering the metal that kept the carts attached to each other was also really worn and was most likely not the best in shape.

"We're going too fast!" Elsa shouted. "Slow down, Kairi!"

"I can't!" Kairi yelled back as she started pulling back on the steering stick that stuck out between her legs. "It's stuck!"

While Kairi struggled with the brakes, Kristoff shone his lantern up and saw in a flash second that it looked like the track was about to be split into two. If they wanted to avoid an accident, they would have to both lean in the same direction, assuring that both carts would continue down on the same track.

"Kairi! Lean to the right!" Kristoff called out to her as loud as he could.

"What? Follow the light?" She incorrectly repeated, unable to her him clearly.

Just as Kristoff feared, Kairi didn't react to him in time and both carts found themselves leaning in the different direction. The consequence was also just about what he predicted too. Something went wrong, really wrong. The stress on the attachment mechanism, and the jolt of one cart going in a different direction than the other, caused the two carts to detach from each other. The cart that Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff rode in went to the right, thanks to their bodies leaning in that direction. Kairi, Naminé, and Xion, their cart began travelling to the left. They didn't notice that their friends had gone missing until Naminé noticed how quiet it suddenly was behind them. She took a look back, her eyes widening at the sight, or lack thereof.

"Uh...Kairi? We just lost Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff…" Naminé said in a concerning tone.

Kairi looked back, her face going pale at the missing mine cart. "Farkleburgers…"

"Could this get any worse?" Xion mumbled as she folded her arms. Her question was answered as numerous Flutterling Heartless began spawning right above their heads. "Why do I even bother asking?"

"Okay...uh...Naminé! I need you to take down any Heartless that come for us! Xion, you and I need to steer this mine cart. Since the stick is stuck, we gotta use our full body weight and ride this out like a rollercoaster!" Kairi called out.

Xion and Naminé both gave affirmative nods to Kairi as they each prepared to ride out the mine cart. Naminé stood up in a crouched position, gripping onto the side of the cart to help retain balance while she aimed her Keyblade at the Flutterlings shooting blue orbs at each of them. It didn't take a lot to take them out, it's just that there were a lot of them, hence why Naminé had to be quick, otherwise the Flutterlings would've clouded up Kairi and Xion's already limited vision. In fact, Xion had to turn on the flashlight on her phone just to give the girls a basic idea of where the track was leading.

"Right!" Kairi and Xion yelled in unison. "Left!" The two of them leaned in the same direction, their combined weight arching the cart in various directions.

"I think that's the last of them…" Naminé breathed out as she took out the last Flutterling.

"Oh gosh…" Kairi muttered at what she saw ahead. It looked like the track as broken into two sides, resulting in a large gap between them. The only way the could get across is if they could jump, but the only way they could jump was if they got a good enough speed boost. There was only one way Kairi knew they could get a boost in speed. "Naminé! Wind! Wind! Wind!"

"Right!" Naminé aimed her Keyblade backwards and cast Aerora. The wind gust sent the mine cart rushing forward. After gaining momentum, it flew off the track and over the gap. Naminé covered her eyes while Xion gripped onto Kairi for dear life and Kairi simply screamed. It felt like the cart was flying in slow motion, but did make it to the other side, albeit having a hard landing.

"Phew…" Kairi wiped her brow.

Unbeknownst to her, the light tremors from the mine cart's intense speed and rocking causing some of the earth above to crumble. Small pebbles and rocks fell atop the the girls' heads. They weren't exactly painful (yet), but they were irritating. However, some of the walls that were closer to the tracks, weren't as stable. In fact, there was a boulder that was rocking back and forth before it finally lost its balance and began to collapse over the mine cart.

Naminé gasped as she looked up and saw the boulder. "Look out!" She squealed before holding up her Keyblade and shielding them with Reflera, which caused the boulder to explode into tiny pebbles.

"Is the world just trying to kill us right now or something?" Xion asked.

"Well, we _are_ Keyblade wielders." Kairi noted as she looked back.

"KAIRI! WATCH OUT!" Xion and Naminé shouted out.

Having only a millisecond to react, Kairi looked ahead and yelped as she saw a wooden barricade that was blocking them from going any further. Having no idea what lay beyond this point, the girls all screamed as the cart collided head on into the barricade, launching them forward and plunging down. Each of the shut their eyes, fearing for their lives. They could land in anything at this point. The hard ground? A bed of rocky spikes? An endless pool of darkness? The last thing that was on their mind that they could plunge into was a body of water, or specifically, a lake.

One by one, each of the girls' bodies plunged into a lake that was thankfully deep enough for them to sink to the bottom briefly without harming themselves. Upon realizing she was underwater, Kairi opened her eyes, sighing of relief that she was still alive, which meant Naminé and Xion were okay. She turned around underneath and found the other two, who nodded and gave her a thumbs up, indicating that they were okay too. After swimming back up to the surface, gasping for air, they each doggy paddled their shooken up bodies to the edges, gripping the edges and giving themselves a chance to calm down from the adrenaline.

"Oh...thank light, we're alive…" Naminé sighed of relief as she climbed out of the lake and onto dry land.

Kairi nodded. "Yeah…" She hopped out and began to shake her soaking wet hair out. "If that was a theme park ride, I'd never want to ride it again…"

"You can say that again…" Xion said as she hung onto the ledge. Kairi and Naminé helped her out before she held her forehead. "Eh...I feel like I hit my head…"

"Let me see." Naminé said as she observed what was a large red mark across Xion's forehead. "Yeah, that's definitely gonna bruise. Let me fix that." She rested her hand atop the mark, her hands glowing green and restoring the skin to it's normal color. "Better?"

Xion chuckled and nodded. "Yeah, much."

While treating Xion's injury, Kairi paced around trying to assess their current situation. "I wonder where Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff ended up. I hope they're okay."

From above, Kairi and the girls could hear another set of screaming. The trio looked up to see Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff's cart barreling toward the edge of the cliff. This time the entire cart plunged all the way and into the lake, giving them a somewhat cushioned fall. The weight of the cart kept them afloat, but Kristoff wasted no time in beginning to paddle them to the edge, knowing that eventually the cart would start sink beneath their body weight. Kairi hurried over and offered a hand to Anna, who was ready to get out of that cart. She had enough of traumatizing experiences and this mine cart ride was no exception.

"We're alive!" Anna exclaimed as she climbed out of the mine cart and hopped onto the dry land. "Kairi, Naminé, Xion, you three are alright!"

Kairi nodded. "Yeah, we were worried once we noticed we lost you."

Kristoff chuckled before helping Elsa out of the cart. "That was nothing."

"I hope Sorenson is okay." Elsa said she she looked back in the direction where they came from.

Anna came up and rested a hand on her sister's shoulder. "I'm sure he's fine." She said in a comforting tone. "I'm sure that scientist has more tricks up his sleeves than appointments in your schedule."

"And everyone will be fine once we life up this curse. So, let's go find that sword!" Kairi encouraged.

Now, in a completely different place than they started or were anticipating, Elsa noticed some feint light up ahead. She led the group further in until they came upon a chamber that brightly lit up, not by natural light from the outside world, but thanks to hundreds of glowworms that dangled from the ceiling. It was an interesting little varmin that Kairi had never seen before, but she couldn't deny that it did make the chamber beautiful thanks to its greenish glow. While, she, Naminé, and Xion enjoyed the light from the glowworms, Elsa retained her focus, trying to figure out a way out. They no longer were just looking for the Huldrefok, but were now also trying to figure out a way that could take them back out, especially with the Nattmara blocking the entrance.

"It's beautiful!" Naminé sighed.

"It sure is." Kairi said while nodding. "It's also so quiet. I can't hear anything."

"I can't hear anything either." Elsa said as she looked around, looking rather puzzled.

"That's a good thing, right? Maybe we finally lost track of the Nattmara." Kristoff suggested.

Xion folded her arms and shook her head. "If these Nightmares are anything like the Heartless, we're not out of the woods yet. It's probably better to keep going."

"Good idea." Anna nodded in agreement. She began to press on until she stopped in her tracks upon noticing the pitch black tunnel ahead. "Uh...you think it's safe to keep going forward?"

Elsa looked back to the numerous passages above them, each one leading them somewhere else. "Well, we can't go back." She pointed out.

"It's official, we're lost…" Xion sighed heavily.

"Not necessarily." Kairi said while gazing up at the glowworms. "I have an idea. Somebody give me a boost." Once Kristoff lifted her up, Kairi started pulling a number of glowworms off the ceiling and throwing them onto the ground. "Back on the island, Sora, Riku, and I always used to wear these necklaces and bracelets that glowed in the dark every summer. These glowworms shine brighter, so if we can make necklaces and bracelets with these, they can be used to light the way!"

Naminé smiled widely and nodded. "That's perfect!"

"It's a great idea, but where are we supposed to find string?" Kristoff asked as he set Kairi down once she had pulled off enough glowworms.

"Here!" Naminé reached into the pocket pouch on her vest and pulled out a needle and a spool of thread. "First rule of being a woman who's going on a dangerous journey: always carry an emergency sewing kit!"

"How clever, Naminé!" Anna giggled.

With Naminé becoming quite an expert in sewing, she began threating the glow worms together until each person had a necklace a couple bracelets to wear. It wasn't the most pleasant form of jewelry, but was better than nothing. Now with the amount of light being emitted from each of their bodies, there was no reason to not have any idea what was up ahead. Elsa kept ahead, her ice magic ready in case they ran into anything dangerous with Kairi right behind her, Keyblade also ready in case they ran into any Heartless, which she was surprised that they hadn't run into yet considering how dark it was.

The trek through the mine's passages was now starting to feel like a marathon. It wasn't so much the fact that they couldn't walk it out, Kairi, Naminé, and Xion were especially used to that by now. It was more that they hadn't slept in over 24 hours. Even for someone like Kairi, who slept for a full year straight, she was still a normal human who needed her eight hours of sleep overnight. The whole group started their trek at a good pace, but one by one, they started to slow down. The lack of sleep was catching up to everyone. Elsa seemed to be the only one keeping a consistent pace, but deep down, she was just as tired.

"Anyone else getting tired? Or am I just getting old?" Kristoff asked with a yawn.

Xion shook her head, also yawning. "I'm tired too. How long has it been since we last slept, Kairi?"

"I don't know. I'm too tired to do math…" Kairi sighed.

"Can't we stop for a quick nap?" Naminé asked.

Elsa shook her head, keeping a stern look on her face."We can't. If we want to break Arendelle's curse and stay safe, we have to keep going."

"Oh...a nap won't be…" Kristoff mumbled before collapsing onto the ground. He sighed and rubbed his head while letting his eyes drift shut. "This rock...it's so soft…"

Anna fell down to her knees and nudged her sleeping boyfriend. "Kristoff! You have to wake up!" She nudged him before trying to pull him up by his arm. "Come on...Kristoff…" She moaned before she felt herself growing sleepy and lay down on the ground, losing herself to her desire for sleep.

"Oh boy…" Kairi murmured while shaking her head.

"Don't worry, I've got this." Elsa smirked before stepping closer to them. She conjured up a couple snowballs before chucking them at their faces.

"Ouch!" Anna yelped as she jerked her body awake.

Kristoff groaned while sitting up and rubbing his cheek. "What was that for?"

"I'm saving your lives." Elsa said in the same tone that a mother would use while disciplining her children. "Now, let's go, unless you want another one." She said as readied another snowball.

"Okay! Okay! We're getting up!" Anna shielded her face before jumping from the ground and dusting off her dress.

Xion let out one more big yawn before letting her eyes drift shut while still standing. "Oh come...on...just...a little...nap…"

"Elsa, we have a problem." Kairi called ahead. "Xion's getting too tired. She's gonna pass out."

Naminé grunted as she continued to nudge their exhausted friend. "Come on, Xion! You gotta stay awake!"

"Hmm…" Elsa thought for a moment. "You know, singing softly to a child helps them fall asleep…"

"So, maybe singing an upbeat song will keep her awake?" Kairi suggested, catching onto Elsa's idea.

"It's worth a shot." Naminé answered.

Anna thought for a moment before bursting into song. _"Let it go! Let it go! Can't hold it back any-"_

"Ugh, no! Anything but that." Elsa scrunched her face and shook her head.

When Anna's initial song was rejected, Kairi thought one up that she felt had the perfect tune. "I remember this one song Sora and Riku taught me when we were kids. It's a famous island song and we often sang it when either one of us was feeling down. It always made us feel better."

"I...remember that." Naminé said with a smile.

"Was it the one about the coconuts?" Xion asked, Kairi nodding in response. "I remember I heard some islanders singing it when I visited Destiny Islands back with Axel and Roxas. How did it go again?"

Kairi laughed before clearing her throat. "Allow me!" She put a bounce in her step as she got the tune in her head. _"Down at an island fair, one evening i was there, when I heard a showman shouting underneath the flare: 'I've got a lovely bunch of coconuts, there they are, all standing in a row, big ones, small ones, some as big as your head! Give 'em a twist, a flick of the wrist!' That's what the showman said!" _She sang.

"Now I remember!" Xion smiled widely, her energy picking up.

Anna and Elsa laughed with her. "That's such a catchy song." The queen said with a bop of her head.

"Come on, let's sing with her!" Anna encouraged Kristoff and her sister.

Kristoff sighed. "Oh boy. I'm gonna have this song stuck in my head, aren't I?"

"Yep!' The girls all said in unison.

Elsa and Kairi's idea seemed to work well as Xion found herself putting a bounce in her step, bopping her head, and joining in with the singing. It evolved from a simple island song that Kairi learned in her youth to multiple songs that everyone learned throughout their lives. Kristoff, being raised by the trolls, also learned a couple tunes while Anna and Elsa knew some that their mother taught them when they were little.

As their singing continued and their voices bounced off the walls, Anna started to pick up on something different. She heard a voice that was different from everyone else's. It was a high-pitched, sounding like it belonged to a child. The voice also sounded like it was singing along with them. Her curiosity peaking, Anna stopped in tracks and told everyone else to do the same. She cupped her hand around her ear and stepped ahead of Elsa, listening carefully to the feint voice that echoed further down the tunnel. She couldn't see anything, but could definitely hear something.

"Hey...it's someone...singing?" Anna guessed.

"Maybe we should follow the voice?" Kairi suggested. "It might be someone who knows a way out of here."

"Uh…" Xion reached out and took Kairi by the shoulder. "No offense, but the last time you followed a voice, you nearly got killed."

"Yeah, but this is different." She argued. "The voice before was hypnotizing. This voice…" She cupped her hand around her ear and leaned forward, listening further. "It's different. It sounds like a child's voice."

"A child? What if they're lost too?" Naminé asked in a tone of despair.

Anna nodded. "That's a good point. Let's go check it out."

The further Kairi and Anna lead the group toward the child's voice, the brighter the caves became between the glowworms and what awaited them ahead. No longer were they in a cave of just pillars, boulders, and cracks in the ground below them. Each person's eyes were treated to the gorgeous sparkling light of large crystals, both sticking out of the ground and hanging from the ceiling. Being used to the darkness, the sparkle of the crystals was a little overwhelming and everyone had to squint their eyes to get used to the aqua light. Despite it being extremely bright, it was easy to tell that the voice was close by.

"It's getting louder!" Kairi gasped. She took a quick look around until the singing ceased, leaving her disappointed. "They're gone." She murmured, turning back and looking at her friends.

"Maybe it was something in your head?" Xion asked.

"How would that be possible if all of us heard it?" Elsa questioned. "But, it's always possible that it's not what we thought it was."

"Darn it, I thought maybe we found someone to help us out of the cave." Anna sighed, holding her head low.

Kristoff gulped before pointing behind Anna and Kairi. "Or maybe they're right behind you two."

Anna gasped, whipping her body around to face whatever beheld her. There was definitely something there, judging by the pattering footsteps. Kairi could barely catch a glimpse of the creature as it ducked behind one of the crystals. Keeping her eyes locked on the crystal, she waited patiently to see if it would come at all. Kairi's patience did pay off as from behind the crystal, what appeared to the head of a small child of around three years old, crept around. Nobody could full grasp what the creature looked like, but it did represent a human, yet it wasn't a human considering there was a tail similar to a cow's tail that whipped back and forth.

Growing more curious, Kairi stepped forward. She locked eyes with the small child, who fiddled with her chestnut curls. The little one watched Kairi step forward and dipped her foot out before retreating it back immediately. It as here that Kairi was able to figure out how to approach the child. She seemed to want to see the mysterious strangers, but was still unsure about it. All Kairi could do was smile. She started to remember acting that way when she was little, especially during her earliest days on the island, being scared and timid of her living situation and being around other kids.

"Kairi, what're you-" Anna reached out for her.

"Hang on, let me try and talk to them." Kairi said with a confident nod. She quietly stepped forward and knelt down to the child's view. "Hello there, little one." She softly said. "I'm sorry if we're intruding. We just couldn't help but enjoy your singing."

Kristoff scoffed. "That's not gonna work."

"Shh!" Anna jabbed him in the arm with her elbow. "You'll scare them."

"Come on out, you don't have to be afraid." Kairi held out her hand. The child's luminescent eyes darted between hers and her hand. As scared as the child was, there was something comforting about her presence, same for Anna and Elsa's. "Can you speak?"

The child tiptoed closer, her eyes gazing into Kairi's. "L...Ligh…"

Kairi laughed. "That's it! You _can _speak! What's your name?"

"L...Ligh...Light." The child murmured.

"She just keeps saying 'light'." Xion whispered to Naminé, who needed in agreement.

"Is that your name?" Kairi asked softly.

The child shook her head before pointing to Kairi. "Light." She repeated before holding out her hand, palm facing forward.

"Oh?" Kairi held out her hand the same way, palms touching with the child. Her skin was smooth and dry, like a lizard's and its blue color matched the crystals. As contact was made. The child gasped, gazing at Kairi as she started to glow a yellowish tint. "What's...happening?" She asked, her glow revealing more of the child's appearance.

"Anna, look!" Elsa pointed out. She noticed that the child's ears had a sharp point at the top where they would normally be rounded.

Anna gasped, noticing the same thing. "It's…" She remembered all that she had leaned over the years from her parents, from books, from friends, and this child was living, breathing proof that it wasn't just a legend. It wasn't a myth. The people that lived in the shadows, they were as real as the people that stood with them. "Elsa, it's a Huldrefolk!"

"Light!" The child chirped again, this time pointing to both Anna and Elsa, puzzling both of them. What did this child mean? Maybe there was much more to these people than even the books shared.

"Hello there, little one!" Anna knelt down and joined Kairi. "My name is Anna. What is your name?"

"What is your name?" The Hulder repeated.

"Anna." She answered.

The child nodded. "Anna."

"Wait, your name is Anna too?" Anna asked while holding her hand out.

"Wait, your name is Anna too!" The child repeated again.

Xion smirked, trying to hold back her laughter. "She sounds like a bird."

"She sounds like a bird!" The Hulder pointed and repeated to Xion, who was not amused by the accusation. Naminé and Kairi found it funny.

Elsa chuckled before kneeling down as well. "My name is Elsa. I'm the queen of Arendelle."

"Elsa! Queen!" The Hulder squealed.

Kairi giggled as she ruffled the curls. "She's so cute! Do you live around here, little one?"

"Live?" She tilted her head to the side like a curious puppy.

Anna nodded. "Yep. Like your home? My home is above the ground in Arendelle. Where's your home?"

"Home? Home!"

The Hulder child whipped around and took off sprinting in the other direction. Anna and Kairi looked at each other, knowing that this child was the only hope they had in finding the Huldrefolk. They were one step closer to finding the Revolute. Unfortunately, the child was much faster than either of them. However, her footsteps echoed enough that they could follow the soft pattering through the cave's passage. It also didn't take long until they reached what appeared to be a dead end. While most of the group was confused, Kristoff smirked, knowing well there was no way this child could have suddenly disappeared from a dead end. He cracked his fingers and began pushing what appeared to be a rock door. It was on the heavier side, leading to getting help from the girls.

The door rolled to the side and revealed a dark tunnel. Despite not being the biggest fan of following down a tunnel that they couldn't see, what awaited them on the other side, made taking the risk worth it. They came to the edge of a cliff that overlooked what looked like an entire city! There were houses, lakes with rafts travelling on them, and many Huldrefolk of various shapes, sizes, and ages, both male and female. Kairi gasped, dazing down at the place. She had never seen anything like it! It made her begin to appreciate the world around her and how there's so much that she had yet to see.

"It's amazing!' Anna gazed upon the sight.

"It's...a whole city!" Kairi gasped. "I should get a picture of this! Sora and Riku will want to see this!"

"Kairi...I don't think that's a good idea." Xion shook her head.

"Why not? There's no signs that say no photography." Kairi shrugged her shoulders as she took out her phone and took a photo of the city. "There, see? No harm done."

"Let's get down and get closer." Kristoff suggested. "We won't find the Revolute by standing here."

Just as everyone was about to follow Kristoff's advice, Anna was interrupted by something _very _unpleasant. It wasn't a tap on the back, her waist, or even someone pulling her hair. Instead, she suddenly felt a sharp poke on her back. It wasn't exactly what she wanted to feel, and knew that Kristoff was notorious for playing silly pranks on her, even in the worst times, but now was definitely not the time, and especially with something that sharp.

"Kristoff," Anna groaned, swiping a hand behind her. "Stop that, I'm trying to see."

"I'm not doing anything." Kristoff said while shaking his head. He was standing a few feet away to her left, definitely not within poking distance.

The hairs on the back of Anna's neck suddenly stuck right up and Kairi felt her heart drop into her stomach. Before anyone knew it, they were surrounded, but they weren't surrounded by an angry mob of villagers. This time, there had to be at least a couple dozen Huldrefolk, all armed with spears that looked like they had been recently sharpened, ready to penetrate their next target, whether it was an animal that could be turned into food, or in this case, intruders. The largest of the warriors, each of them stuck a spear closer toward the group. Kairi murmured to everyone not to make any sudden movements.

Anna and Elsa wanted to figure a way out. There usually was when dealing with any human race. Even if they were Huldrefolk, they were still people and deserved to be treated like them, despite living underground in the shadows. Anna harkened back to when she read about the Huldrefolk at Sorenson's tower. She remembered that the best way to get on good terms with them was to introduce yourself as a friend. Anna was aware that Elsa knew about this too, but could tell that she was just as anxious about the situation, if not more. She decided she'd do the talking, hoping that maybe it'd take some of the already established pressure off her sister.

"H-Hello! My name is Anna of Arendelle, and this is my sis-"

"Stop!" A Hulder hissed. "Thief!" He jabbed a spearpoint closer to her face, silencing her.

"Uh...n-no! We're not thieves!" Kairi shook her head frantically.

Naminé nodded. "Yeah! We came to ask for help! We're not here to take anything!"

"Take, take, take!" The same Hulder repeated.

Kristoff groaned and shook his head. "No! We're not here to take anything! We followed a little one-"

"Take little one! Take little one!" The Hulder chanted, followed by his fellow Huldrefolk chanting with him and holding up their spears.

"Please, listen to us. We didn't kidnap anyone, nor were we trying to." Elsa said in a calm tone, trying to reason with the angry warriors.

The Huldrefolk exchanged looks with each other before raising their spears again. "Liar, liar, every word!"

"Listen you cave freaks! We haven't done anything wrong! So you'd better-" Xion threatened with her jaw clenched and her hand curled into a fist.

"Xion!" Kairi chided her friend, cutting her off.

"The abyss!" Another Hulder called out. "Take to abyss! Take to abyss! Take to abyss!" The mob chanted.

"Oh boy…" Naminé whimpered.

Kairi sighed and rolled her eyes. "You and your big mouth…" She mumbled to Xion.

The Hulder warriors tied each person's hands behind their back, attaching them to an even longer rope that was gripped by one warrior on each end. Kairi couldn't help but be more annoyed than scared. This was something she'd see happen when intruders happen upon an uncharted island and encounter cannibals. Then again, this journey had a way of subverting her expectations in just about every way. All tied up, the Huldrefolk began marching out of the city and up a rugged path, chanting something foreign that nobody wanted to try to translate.

The further they marched out, the warmer it got. It wasn't just due to the lack of air circulation from being underground. It almost started to feel like a hot summer day in the middle of August on Destiny Islands. Kairi tilted her head as she noticed a reddish glow coming from outside the other end of the tunnel they were traveling. Much to hers, as well as her friends' horror, there was what could only be the largest pool of lava any of them had ever seen. Xion and Naminé were immediately shaking their heads, knowing exactly what was coming to did his absolute best trying to reason with the Huldrefolk, but if anything, that only made things worse.

Anna and Elsa shushed him before they were all lined up next to each other, their backs to the lava. If Kairi wasn't scared before, now she was terrified. Of all the ways to die and end her short life of sixteen years, getting shoved into a pool of lava was not at the top of her list. Part of her felt like she could easily figure out a way out of this, but considering less than a foot behind her was the edge of the cliff and less than a foot in front of her was the tip of a spear that had her face's name on it, Kairi could only feel helpless at this point. She had gotten good at getting herself out of dangerous situations, but this was one of those moments where she wished Sora, Riku, Axel, or just about anybody she knew would bust through the tunnel and rescue her and her friends.

"HALT!" A deep voice echoed, causing the earth beneath and around them to shake.

The Huldrefolk obeyed the voice and froze in space. Each one of their heads turned as a much larger figure proceeded down the earthy steps and toward the cliff where the supposed 'intruders' were awaiting their tragic fate. Kairi gasped as the figure's full form was slowly, but surely more revealed by the warm light of the lava. His skin matched that of the other Hulder warriors, so he was definitely one of them, but he dressed differently. He appeared to have a robe crafted from the finest fur and animal skins Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff had ever seen. Based on his more regal demeanor, standing with great posture and his head held up high, Elsa felt more confident trying to befriend him, just as Anna had suggested. It was made clear by the Huldrefolk's bowing heads that this figure was in fact, their leader.

"Greetings, I am Queen Elsa of Arendelle, and this is my sister, Princess Anna, and her...er, our guard, Kristoff." She introduced everyone. "These are friends of ours, Kairi, Naminé, and Xion. We greet you in friendship."

"Friendship," The Hulder leader repeated. After a moment of observing the strange visitors, his stern look dropped to a much more relaxed expression, even smiling slightly. "I apologize for my family. They can be a bt overprotective." The Hulder child dashed right beside him, earning a pat on the head. "Young Echo cleared up the misunderstanding, and she and I welcome you to our domain. I am the king of the Huldrefolk."

"Wait...you can speak?" Kairi asked, a puzzled look across her face.

"We like to use other people's words so that we can wrap ourselves up and hide within them. It's very rare for Huldrefolk to actually have to compose something new. That's part of the reason why Echo found you. She wanted to collect your song. Songs are easy to remember, easy to echo back.

"Echo!" The little child repeated.

"But, why do _you _speak like humans do?" Anna asked, her curiosity peaking.

The king chuckled. "Because, I'm not only the king, but I'm also the librarian. Come, I'll take you back to the city."

"Wait, are you sure we're going to some place safe and not to a place where we're gonna be rotisseried over a fire?" Xion asked, hesitant of following the leader.

"Oh, don't be silly. We're vegetarians." He rolled his eyes at what felt like the millionth accusation of the Huldrefolk eating humans. The group followed as he continued his explanation. "Anyway, as I was saying, I've spent years visiting the world above, collecting items as well as stories, and I have enough words at my disposal. So, I'd like to apologize again for your initial greeting."

"That's it?" Kristoff burst out. "We're almost thrown into a lake of lava, and all you can say is 'I'm sorry'?"

"Does 'We're _very _sorry' make it better?" The king asked. Kairi chuckled, taking note of his spunk. "Usually, the only humans who make it down this far want to take precious stones and gems from our mountain, or to capture a member of our domain to make them find iron ore deposite for the weapons and the like."

"We're not here looking for stones, gems, or iron." Kairi said while shaking her head.

"Oh, I know, trust me, I know...Princess." The king said with nod, his last remark causing everyone to stop in their tracks.

"Princess?" Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff both asked in unison.

"Kairi, you never told us you were a princess." Anna noted.

Kairi bit down on her lip. "Well...it's kind of…"

The king held up his hand. "No need to explain." He said while shaking his head. "As I've stated before, I've heard stories, plenty. Comes with the territory of aging much differently than humans. I've seen many generations come and go above ground."

"What kind of stories?" Elsa asked.

"Come," He pointed to the largest house in the city. "Come inside my house, and I'll tell you."

For being the largest house in the underground city, it was rather cozy. It reminded Kairi of how humid the island would feel inside the caves sometimes between the moisture and the outside heat. This house was no different, most likely due to the heat circulating through the house. She took notice of the various artifacts and books that were on display. Even with her curiosity peaked, Kairi didn't want to come off as intrusive, especially considering this king just saved her and her friends from being tossed into a pool of lava.

Anna was anxious to ask the king about the Revolute, and yet, she was also just as curious about all of these stories that he heard, as well as finding out how Kairi was a princess and why she would keep that a secret from her, Elsa, and Kristoff. It seemed everyone had their own set of questions and there wasn't enough time to answer them. Still, everyone felt that if this king knew as much as they thought he did, then he'd be able to locate the Revolute. The king finally joined everyone at the dining room table, cups of tea ready to nourish the exhausted travelers.

"So...what all do you know?" Kairi asked, her grip around her tea tightening.

The king sighed, taking a seat at the end of the elongated table. "It was all a secret, kept from not just the people of Arendelle, but the people of all other worlds." He explained, grasping the attention of Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff especially. "Then one day, back when our worlds were still connected, a great war happened, and darkness engulfed this world, breaking it off into many smaller worlds."

"The Keyblade War…" Kairi muttered softly.

"What's this about a Keyblade War?" Kristoff asked. "And about _other _worlds? Nobody has ever left the surface of Arendelle."

"Oh, but it's real. It's about as real as the Seven Pure Lights that help retain the balance of the worlds' light."

"So then, wait, how do you know Kairi's a princess?" Naminé asked.

The king chuckled. "Simple. I can sense it, as could Echo."

"But the others…" Xion tried to argue.

"I'm afraid they lack the experience and knowledge I have gained over the years." The king held up his hands, his eyes darting between them. "This light that you emit, it's a powerful feeling to those who are open to it. After all, we of all people should be attracted to it. We are a people of darkness."

"Darkness? You mean like Heartless?" Elsa asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Oh, absolutely not. We may be the people of the shadows, but we're not Heartless. Darkness isn't all bad, after all. Just like light isn't all good. It's all about how one uses it. When it's used improperly, that's when it becomes a threat, and hence why there will be another Keyblade War. Many have misused the darkness and our worlds' are slowly beginning to lose their focus." The king stood up and walked over to the window. "Many years ago, when I was just a young lad, there was a man who claimed he knew the future. He claimed that one day, light would expire, and darkness would prevail. He knew it all. The Book of Prophecies...it's real. And one day, our world will expire. If we are to keep our world's balance, light and darkness must co-exist together."

"And we will." Anna said while standing up.

Elsa nodded. "Absolutely, starting with breaking Arendelle's curse."

The king chuckled. "Well said, pure lights."

"Wait...Anna and Elsa are pure lights too?" Kairi asked in shock.

"Recently, yes, indeed they are." He said before walking closer and resting his hands behind the sisters' backs. "As soon as I heard Echo chanting 'Light! Light! Light!', I had a feeling it'd be you."

Anna and Elsa shared bewildered looks with each other. Less than an hour ago, they were the princess and queen of Arendelle who were looking for a mythical sword to defeat the Nattmara, and now, they were apparently a part of something _much _bigger, and learned of a connection to Kairi because of it. It made the sisters realize that breaking this curse and keeping Arendelle was now more important than ever, as it could affect an entire universe outside of their little snowbound world.

"We're...pure lights…" Anna murmured, resting her hand against her chest.

"Wow, I never really thought of myself as a pure light." Elsa said as she tugged on the end of her braid.

Xion smiled and folded her arms. "Well what do you know? Two Princesses of Heart in one world."

"This means that more than ever, we have to get rid of the Nattmara and free Arendelle." Elsa said in a firm tone. "Your highness, we actually came here, hoping you would know where to find the Revolute."

The king finished sipping his tea before making his way to the door. "Come with me, and I'll see what I can do. We'll go to The Library of Lost Things. If my people find anything lost, it's in here." He explained, leading everyone back outside his house.

As it turned out, this library was a more hidden place for the Huldrefolk. In fact, it required taking a raft. Kairi couldn't help but chuckle at the idea of riding a raft. She seemed to have bad luck when it came to rafts. Once each person had boarded the wooden raft that was large enough to comfortably fit all seven of them, the king directed a Hulder to take them to the library. It was during this time that he encouraged everybody to try and at least nap, seeing as how it would be a little while before reaching their destination. The hesitation, especially from Elsa, was there, but the king assured that the group was safe from the Nattmara underground.

Deciding to trust him, Xion was the first to fall asleep, followed by Kristoff, and then Anna, Elsa, Kairi, and Naminé following suit shortly after, each of them immediately passing out thanks to the lack of sleep they had since the last night they slept in the castle. It wasn't too long of a ride, but a little bit of sleep felt a lot better than none. Kairi and Anna were both relieved that they could sleep without having nightmares, for better or worse.

Upon reaching the docks, the king gingerly woke up his sleeping passengers. It took a bit of extra effort to wake up Kristoff, but he finally got up and moving. Nobody knew what to make of where the king took them. It looked like nothing more than what they had previously seen while in the mines. The king waved his arm toward steps that seemed to wind up for what seemed like forever. It almost felt like being down in the underworld, and the steps were returning the departed souls back to the mortal realm. Nobody questioned it though, and instead they followed him up the steps, up until what appeared to be a dead end, but there were a few more steps that were angled up toward the ceiling.

"Wait here." The king whispered, holding an arm out. He suddenly pushed open a square patch in the ceiling, light streaming through.

The king stepped to the side, allowing everyone to continue up the steps one by one. It was quite a narrow opening, only permitting each person to fit through the opening. Anna was the first to ascend, her eyes lighting up upon the little house that was surprisingly bright considering where they were. It didn't take long for Anna to get the impression that they were no longer underground. Her eyes scanned the room until they landed upon a window that had a surprising amount of blue peering through and giving the house some much needed natural light that neither person in the group has had in several hours.

"Wait, is that the sky?" Anna asked, pointing out the window.

"It looks like we're in a turf house." Elsa noted, stepping aside for the others to climb into the house.

Once she had climbed all the way up, Kairi's first initial impression was that this was definitely no ordinary library. There were a few books, but not to the extent that she'd expect to see. It was more like a gift shop. Shelves were stacked with just about anything that any person would use throughout their daily life. There were gardening tools, weapons, kitchen supplies, and even figures and artifacts. Xion was especially fascinated with all of the items in the library considering that the locals of Twilight Town were always losing things such as keys, wallets, glasses, and even munny.

"Where'd you get all of this stuff?" Xion asked as she tried on some goggles that made her look bug-eyed.

"We find things that are lost and give them homes. That includes everything from missing spectacles, to hair bands, to legendary swords." The king answered as he rested in a chair.

"Can the Nattmara find us up _here_? Or are we still hidden?" Kristoff asked as he peered out the window.

"With me, you're still safe. Plus, remember, the Nattmara hate the sunlight."

While the search for the Revolute continued, Kairi couldn't help but begin her own little search. The fact that the Huldrefolk usually found lost things stuck in her mind. She had conflicted hope that they might have found her seashell piece. Yet, at the same time, she wasn't sure if she wanted it to be found. The last couple times this occurred, Kairi had to literally fight to get it back. She sighed upon taking one last look around the entire library, not finding a single seashell on display.

"You seem troubled, my dear." The king said as he stood next to her.

Kairi sighed, folding her arms. "I was hoping maybe you would've found a piece of broken seashell that I'm searching for." She took out her phone and checked her tracker. "Well, it doesn't matter much anyway, we're not even close."

"Don't worry, Kairi. Once Arendelle is safe again, we can start searching again." Naminé said in an encouraging manner. "Unfortunately, I'm having bad luck finding a sword."

"Me too." Xion nodded. "Anna? Elsa? What about you two?"

Anna shook her head, as did Elsa. "We haven't found a single sword in this library." The stressed out queen took a seat in front of the fireplace.

"You'd think the Huldrefolk would find a bunch since Arendelle's history is full of swords." Kristoff said with a sigh. "Maybe it's in a different location?"

"If that is so, then great swords are traditionally buried with their heroes." The king said in a somber tone.

"ARRGH!" Elsa roared as she stood up. "Well that's just great! It was said in the Saga of Aren that he was swallowed by a dragon! If he was swallowed by a dragon, and he had hs sword with him, then that means the sword is also in the belly of the dragon!" She vented, pacing back and forth.

"That's brutal…" Xion muttered as she shook her head. "Kairi, can't we just give Anna the ability to wield a Keyblade? Aqua did the same for you and Terra did it for Riku."

"I can't. I don't even know how. I've had like...what, a year of experience? I'm nowhere near qualified." Kairi said with a sigh.

"Wait, what do you mean Aren was swallowed by a dragon?" Kristoff asked.

"A dragon came to the fjord, and it threatened to eat everyone. So Aren, one of our greatest leaders, who loved his home and people more than anything, decided to go face the dragon, who lives where the sea is a sky, and he never came back." Elsa harkened back to the story that her mother had told her for many years before her passing. She sighed, all color leaving her face as she hid her face from Anna and her friends. "I don't know how else we're gonna find the Revolute. Maybe it never existed."

"That can't be, not with the Nattmara chasing us around. If that thing is real, then this sword has to be real too." Naminé shook her head in denial.

Nothing seemed to line up, and between being sleep-deprived and stressed for Arendelle's safety, Elsa's frustration was at an all time high that Anna hadn't seen since she last pushed her sister past her limits during her coronation. Anna, being the one who was good at steering Elsa back on track, harkened back to the original story of Aren. It was true, he did get swallowed by a dragon, but he was also on a boat. A boat, and a dragon, how and why were those two things so familiar to her?

Then, it suddenly hit her!

"Wait! Elsa! I know where the Revolute is!" Anna yelled as she gipped her sister by the shoulders.

"What?" Everyone else asked in unison.

"The Saga of Aren claims that Aren went out on a boat to face a dragon, and he was swallowed by said dragon, who lives in a place where the sea is the sky."

"Yeah, but for the sea to be a sky, you have to be under water…" Elsa noted. Her voice trailed off before her eyes lit up. "The Earth Giant's Passage! It goes under the fjord, which means the sea is the sky! And that's where the _dragon boat _is!"

"The tumulus that we walked through, that's Aren's tumulus, which means that's where the Revolute is buried!" Anna finished, gripping Elsa's hands with anticipation.

"Way to go, Anna! You solved it!" Kristoff said with a proud smile.

"We got it now!" Kairi said while clapping her hands together. "Anna! Elsa! Let's go save your kingdom!"

"This means we have to go back to the castle, and we need to get there quick if we're gonna break this curse in time." Naminé mentioned as she pointed out the window.

Anna bit down on her lip, giving her sister a longing look. "Elsa, do you think you could-"

"Magic? Won't it attract the Nattmara to us?" Elsa asked, a look of concern across her face.

The king rested a hand on Elsa's shoulder. "Either way, the Nattmara is attracted to you. At least magic can help you stay one leap ahead."

Elsa, having thought about the potential consequences of both sides, gave a nod, agreeing with the Hulder king. She stepped forward and dug her foot into the ground of the turf house. The girls gasped in awe as the ice crystal that had formed started to expand. Once it was a decent size, Elsa slowly brought her arms up, the ice started to meld into a sleigh, big enough to fit all six of them in. Just a sleigh wasn't enough though. Elsa also conjured up a flurry that grew over time before it began form into a large bear, made completely of snow, and all reigned up, ready to pull the sleigh back to Arendelle.

"Wow, that's beautiful!" Anna gasped as she brushed her hand along the sleigh.

"Aww, he's a cutie!" Kairi giggled as she pet the snow bear.

Kristoff's smile faded as he rested his hand on the bear's back. "Sven could've been a big help if he was…" He trailed off, immediately thinking about his best friend who was still suffering. "I hope Sven's still okay."

Anna walked up to him, brushed her hand along his face. "I'm sure he will. He's hanging in there for you."

"We should get back to the castle in no time." Kairi sad as she hopped into the sleigh that could fit all six of them.

"Alright, everyone climb aboard!" Elsa directed before turning back to the Hulder king. "My apologies for leaving so soon."

"The pleasure is all mine, my queen." He bowed his head. "But in my family, we don't say goodbye. We say, 'Till we see you again.'"

Anna smiled and nodded. "Till we see you again!"

"Till we see you again!" The rest of the group all said in unison.

The king smiled and nodded, allowing Elsa to board the front of the sleigh. He looked over to Kairi in the back and got her attention. "May your heart be your guiding key, Princess."

Taking his words to heart, Kairi smiled back and nodded confidently. She placed her hand over her chest, listened to her beating heart, and recited the same words softly. Her heart had a way of guiding her along the right path, but there was something that kept her from wanting to believe that completely. Whatever it was, these provocative thoughts would have to wait. It was time to hurry back to Arendelle and time was running short.

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**A/N: Btw, sorry for not giving the Hulder leader a name. He didn't have a name in the original source material and I honestly couldn't think of a name for him -_-;**


	43. Nightmare's End

**A/N: Phew! Finally updated! I know it's been a few weeks, but real talk guys, my mental health hasn't been the greatest in the last few weeks and it's been affecting my motivation to write, but I hope you guys enjoy what I've got!**

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Chapter 43: Nightmare's End

As Bjorn the bear pulled the sleigh away from the Huldrefolk's turf house, time seemed to pass at a pace that could be described as all too quick. The hours were growing later, the weather was growing worse with the wind and snowfall picking up, and upon first glance, Anna, Elsa, and Kristoff's home no longer looked like home. The haze had settled, making near impossible to see a far distance away, which only meant Bjorn had to take it slower as he stomped his paws through the snow. In a way, the world had lost all of its color. Anna could remember the last time this occurred, when Elsa was framed by Hans for murdering her, and all Elsa could do was try to run away and escape the prison that was her life at the palace.

Kristoff had wrapped a large blanket around Kairi, Namine, and Xion, hoping it would help with bittercold temperatures. Sitting down on a sleigh made of ice, as well as having snowflakes blown harshly against their faces, made for a tough time. At least they were walking and jogging before, which helped radiate their body heat. The damage done throughout Arendelle because of the Nattmara also sent unsettling chills through Kairi's body. Trees were knocked down, plants had lost their color, and debris was scattered all about. All she could do was be grateful that Elsa had thought to trap the palace and village in the dome of ice.

"It looks like a forest after a fire." Kristoff noted as he tugged on Bjorn's reigns. "Look at the way the ash drifts. It's floating on the air instead of falling."

"Drifting ash…" Kairi muttered, a cold feeling shooting through her body upon watching it.

As the pain of thousands of needles began pressing through her skull, Kairi ducked her head low and pressed her hand against her forehead. She started seeing things that were definitely not from the world she was currently in. There were homes in ruin, foliage was up in flames, and the ash from the fires simply drifted as a young Kairi slowly watched her world around her fall to the darkness. All too soon, she looked behind and saw her grandmother reaching for her with what looked like a wave of darkness behind her. The child's first instinct was to reach for her, and that, she did. Within a literal bright flash of a second, the memory had faded away and Kairi found herself back in reality, riding on Elsa's ice sleigh, feeling the weight of a friend's hand on her back.

"Kairi? You okay?" Namine asked.

Kairi quickly nodded. "Y-Yeah, I'm fine."

"Hey, look on the bright side. Forest fires are necessary to clear bramble and bring new life, so maybe this s a good thing." Anna suggested, laughing sheepishly.

"Tell that to the people who have lost their homes…" Xion said in a low tone, remembering that she didn't have a home to go back to after this and that it had gone up in flames. "Fire's a killer."

Kairi rested a hand on Xion's shoulder and gently squeezed it. "No. It wasn't a fire that destroyed Twilight Town. It was Luxu. We know it was him."

"Even if it was him, it doesn't change anything."

"I'm sorry, Xion." Namine said as she wrapped her arm around their friend. "It might take time, but we'll have it all fixed up one day."

Xion exchanged a hopeful grin with each of her friends. It was true, her circumstances were what they were and she couldn't change them, but then she thought about Sora, and how he always looked toward bright future no matter how dire the situation was, and he never gave up. Twilight Town may have been gone at that time, but Xion knew within time, she'd be back at home with Roxas, Axel, and all of her friends, as if nothing had ever happened. In the meantime, she was happy and relieved to have Kairi and Namine by her side, and soon enough, Sora would be back, and she'd be able to thank him properly for everything he had gone through to give her the life she had.

Elsa had created a spyglass out of ice for the sheer purpose of keeping track of danger. Lucky for them, the Heartless seemed to stay out of their way, most likely due to the fact that they had a large bear made of snow guiding them this time around as opposed to travelling on foot. Anna, feeling paranoid about whether the Nattmara was following them or not, held the spyglass up to her eye and scanned the area they travelled. Other than the debris from the forest damage, everything seemed rather normal, except she _did _see something moving toward them. Specifically, she saw a dark smudge that could've only been one thing.

"Elsa, something's moving, over there!" Anna whispered, slipping her sister the spyglass.

Elsa peered over her shoulder, gasping as she saw the same dark smudge. "I think it's following us. We have to move faster!"

Kristoff nodded as he gripped the reigns harder. "Come on, snowball. Let's see how fast you can _really _go!"

As Bjorn as about to pick up in speed, a faint voice echoed in the distance. Kairi picked up on it and couldn't just ignore it. In dire situations like this, the last thing she wanted was for someone to get hurt hen they could've just stopped and helped them to a safe location. She asked for the spyglass from Anna and took a look herself. Following the voice, she looked back and noticed the voice coming from that same dark smudge.

"Wait! Stop! It's a person!" Kairi yelled.

"A person? But who could be-wait! Sorenson!" Anna realized as she recognized the voice.

"Kristoff, we need to get closer to him. Can you turn us around?" Elsa asked.

Acknowledging the queen's request, Kristoff nodded before pulling back on Bjorn's reins and turning him around. There was a part of him that would've rather just continued onward to Arendelle, seeing as how every moment spent not moving forward was another one wasted and they were short on time. Upon getting closer, everyone could see that Anna was right. It was Sorenson, but he wasn't in far worse shape. His coat was torn and he was limping forward, his ankle swollen, from the encounter with the Nattmara. Condition aside, it was a relief that he had survived and managed to make it this far.

"Sorenson! Thank goodness you're okay!" Anna greeted as Kristoff pulled the sleigh to a stop.

"How'd you escape, old man?" Xion asked as everyone hopped out of the sleigh.

Sorenson held his body over, breathing heavily. "I'll tell you all about it...just let me catch my breath."

"We don't have much time. Can you explain this in the sleigh?" Elsa asked.

"That's a good idea, but we can't take the sleigh where we need to go." He nodded before folding his arms.

Kairi furrowed her eyebrows, now feeling confused. "What are you talking about? We need to go pull the Revolute so Anna can defeat the Nattmara and we're wasting time."

"Y-You know where to find it?" Sorenson asked, his eyes looking ready to bulge out.

"We know where to look, but what place are you referring to?" Elsa asked.

"I found a cure! But it's hard to explain, I'd rather who it to you first. It won't defeat the Nattmara but it'll at least clear up the Blight." He explained, tapping his fingers together excitedly. "And the Huldrefolk have it! Hot spring water!"

Elsa shook her head, taking a step back. "I don't think so. They're our friends and didn't say anything about a cure."

"Whatever they told you is wrong. The Huldrefolk are thieves. You should not have trusted them."

Kairi growled, getting closer to the scientist. "That's not true! They find lost things and give them homes! Whatever myths and legends have said, they're wrong! The Huldrefolk are _very _smart people! They know even more than a lot of us ever will!" She defended them, remembering everything the king spoke about regarding other worlds and even the seven pure lights.

Sorenson chuckled, shaking his head. "Oh child, you've spent too many years reading fantasy books. Science has proven-"

"You know, just because you're scientist, doesn't mean you're right automatically." Kairi argued, itching her way closer to him. Unbeknownst to her, black sand had started seeping out of his pocket as she argued with him. "In fact, a lot of the 'research' that you guys do can be really harmful! I know from experience! So maybe _you _are just as ignorant as-"

Sorenson's eyes suddenly glowed yellow before becoming engulfed completely in black. Kairi and Anna gasped as they peered down at his pocket and saw black sand streaming out. He released an ear-shattering shriek as the black sand swirled before shooting directly into his heart. As it seemed, Sorenson's encounter with the Nattmara was even more consequential than they thought. The scientist who always had a sense if ignorance when it came to believing in myths and legends had now become the Nattmara's most recent victim, a literal puppet, which only meant that the real monster was not far behind.

"Nattmara!" Anna yelled, prompting everyone to jump onto the sleigh.

"Come on, Kairi!" Xion cried as she and Namine pulled her on.

"Mush!" Kristoff shouted, whipping the reigns.

Bjorn roared before sprinting forward. His strong footsteps thumped in the snow, leaving defining footprints that Sorenson could easily follow if he wanted to. It was easy to hope for smooth escape, but the scientist, now under Nattmara's nightmare possession, was not going down without a fight. He gritted his teeth and held up a vial of violet powder. Specifically, it was combustion powder that was highly flammable. He tossed the vial toward the sleigh, igniting a flaming violet explosion right beside them, but not quiet hitting them. Kairi growled as she summoned her Keyblade and stood on the sleigh. If he wanted to play hard, she was going to fight back just as much.

As Sorenson grew more desperate to harm Kairi and her friends, the Heartless started dropping in to slow everything down. Bjorn roared, snapping his jaws at the Marine Rumbas, who only continued to pelt the bear with water-based spells. Namine stood up right behind Anna and Elsa and began firing Thundara to fend them off. In the meantime, Flutterings also flew in, trying to cause havoc. Xion took care of them, as did Elsa, thanks to her ice magic. Kairi had her Keyblade to knock back whatever vial Sorenson was ready to throw, only for the next one to completely miss and flew past the sleigh, igniting another explosion.

"Uh...what's that?" Namine asked, pointed out a dark line that was ahead of them.

Kristoff studied it, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat. "That...is a canyon. A very, very, very _wide _canyon."

"Faster! We'll be abe to clear the canyon!" Anna yelled, tapping Kristoff on the shoulder.

"No, we won't!" Elsa shook her head, a hopeless look on her face.

"Elsa's right! With six of us on here, there's no way!" Kairi nodded.

The dark line was getting closer by the second, and hardly anytime to think of an alternative plan. With the momentum that was gained between the weight and speed of Bjorn and the sleigh, and with the added slickness of the snow, trying to pull the sleigh to a complete halt was not an option, which meant that any chance of trying to find another route was also out of the question. Kristoff whipped his head back before staring forward. He was a bigger guy and knew what he had to do. If he was going to pull this off, he only had a few seconds to pull it off. All he could do was hope the girls would be safe and break the curse successfully.

"Elsa, here!" Kristoff suddenly shoved the reins into her hands before turning to Anna. "I think I can hold Sorenson off until sunset."

"Wait, what?" Anna asked, not having any time to process what he just said.

"Tell Sven I said he should listen to you." He said in a tender tone before suddenly kissing her.

It was then that Kairi, Namine, and Xion realized what his plan was, the latter two sharing a determined look with each other, as if they had the same idea. Kristoff got ready to jump off the sleigh only for each girl to appear on either side of him.

"You can't do it alone, that's for sure!" Xion confidently said.

"Namine? Xion?" Kairi asked from behind.

Namine turned back, resting her hand on Kairi's shoulder. "Kristoff can't hold him off by himself with how dangerous the Nattmara is. You, Anna, and Elsa have each other. We need to be there for Kristoff."

Kairi's heart sank. It was apparent that the possession of the Nattmara didn't sap him of his smarts, thus making him a dangerous force to reckon with. Yet, she knew that Namine was right. With a sigh, Kairi nodded and backed up, giving Kristoff, Xion, and Namine room to wind up their jump. The three of them joined hands before leaping off the sleigh. It wasn't a smooth landing, each of them tumbling on the soft blanket of snow. Thanks to the harsh temperature of the snow, it didn't take long for Xion and Namine to scramble back onto their feet and help Kristoff up as well.

Sorenson was able to catch up, but thanks to Kristoff, Xion, and Namine, the three of them were well-equipped to hold him off and give Kairi, Anna, and Elsa a chance to escape.

"Okay, so...now what do we do?" Kristoff asked.

"Well...we don't wanna kill him. So...distract him and hold him off?" Xion suggested.

Namine and Xion had their Keyblades ready, but didn't expect much out of Sorenson considering his lack of weapons, or so they thought. He reached for another vial and threw it toward Kristoff and the girls. It landed in front of them and created a thick fog that ruined whatever vision they had. Sorenson snuck around behind Kristoff and yanked the dagger he had equipped to the rest of his gear for emergency purposes. As the fog dissolved, Namine gasped as Sorenson dashed toward her ready to pierce her delicate body.

Kristoff got in front of the girls and blocked Sorenson with his pickaxe. He demanded for them to get someplace safe, but Xion was stubborn enough to stick by and try to help fend him off. Sorenson kept trying to attack Kristoff with the dagger, but his attacks were consistently blocked, followed by Kristoff kicked him onto the ground. Xion was ready to attempt an attack that hopefully wouldn't hurt him as much, but would just stun him. As she skid closer, the scientist grabbed a vial and threw it back toward her. The impact caused purple flames to ignite, the impact of the blast send Xion flying.

"Xion!" Namine cried out. She rushed by her friend's side and cast Cure on her. "Are you okay?"

Xion held her head while sitting up. "Yeah…" She looked up at Sorenson and Kristoff, who were staring each other down. "What else can we do? If we let him go, he'll kill us, and the only other option is to kill him instead. It's not like he can just suddenly fall asleep now."

"Wait! I've got an idea!" Namine yelled. "It may not get rid of the nightmare state, but it'll at least calm him down!"

"Huh?" Xion asked as she watched her friend stand and gather herself up.

"When Aerith taught me my Sleep spell, she taught me about the different stages of Non-REM sleep and about how dreaming occurs during the REM sleep stage!" She explained, Xion not exactly getting what she is saying. "Sorenson is in REM sleep! My Sleep spell, when it's cast, it sends the victim into the the deepest stage of Non-REM sleep-"

"Which means if he isn't dreaming, then he can't be infected by the nightmare!" Xion finished, finally understanding the idea. "Namine! You're a genius!"

Namine giggled and blushed before telling Xion to stay hidden. Kristoff did a fairly decent job of keeping Sorenson distracted. With his back turned, Namine had an opportunity to sneak up behind and get close enough. She had to be quicker as Sorenson was getting more aggressive with trying to attack Kristoff, but she managed to raise her Keyblade and cast her Sleep spell within a flash of a second. With the spell now taking effect, Sorenson's body swayed and his eyes drooped down slowly before they were completely shut and he was collapsing down to the ground with a hard thud!

"Whoa...how'd you do that?" Kristoff asked.

Namine giggled before twirling her Keyblade. "It's a secret!"

"Well, he's asleep. At least Anna, Elsa, and Kairi will be fine. I just hope they can get rid of the Nattmara before sunset. Otherwise, the curse won't be lifted." Xion sighed as she gazed down at Sorenson's sleeping body.

"Do you think maybe I should try using the spell on everyone in the village?" Namine asked.

Kristoff shook his head before hoisting Sorenson over his shoulders. "No, only because by the time you do that, it'll either be too late or the curse will be lifted with how far we still are from Arendelle."

"What about what Sorenson said about the hot spring water? Wait! Doesn't Oaken have a sauna? He should have plenty of hot spring water!" Xion suggested.

"Good idea. We should probably get Sorenson some place safe anyway. Let's take him to Wandering Oaken's and maybe try the spring water on Sven."

Not long ago, the biggest obstacle that either Kristoff or the girls had to be concerned about was Heartless or Sorenson attacking them, but thanks to the weather intensifying, it only made the journey back to Oaken's Trading Post even more difficult. The only thing on Kristoff's mind was whether Anna was safe or not. If anything, he wished the Nattmara was chasing him, then he would've just send Xion and Namine with the others and tried to deal with it himself. It was definitely a change of heart from a year ago, when all he cared about was himself, Sven, and his family of rock trolls.

With the aggressive snowfall and thick haze, all Xion and Namine could do was follow Kristoff, whose outfit thankfully stood out from the otherwise world that was very white at this point. How could they figure out where to go? Namine tried lighting a branch on fire and using it to try and see ahead, but the snow would automatically put it out upon contact. It wasn't until the three of them saw a faint light ahead. There was only one reason there would be light, and that was if there was a house. Kristoff signaled the girls to follow him as he jogged toward the light, which got bigger and bigger until it was revealed to be shining from inside of none other than Oaken's Trading Post.

"Woohoo! Big autumn blow-whoa!" Oaken leapt up from the table as they entered. "That's an odd thing to find in the wild." He noted, referring Sorenson's unconscious body.

"It's a long story." Kristoff said before laying Sorenson's still snoozing body by the fireplace.

"Kristoff's back!" Olaf cheered as shuffled over to him and the girls. "And so are Namine and Xion! But wait...where are Anna and Elsa? Kairi?"

"If they don't hurry, they're gonna miss playing the next round of Gnav." Oaken pointed out, his eyes darting between his family at the table and Kristoff.

"They're going after the Nattmara, the creature that's been attacking Arendelle." Xion answered.

"In order to defeat it, Anna has to destroy it herself, so all three of them are going to find a sword called the Revolute."

Oaken gasped, his teeth gritting. "The Revolute? As in the sword from the Saga of Aren?"

Kristoff sighed, taking a seat next to Sven, who was still as sick as he was when they had departed. "Yep, that's the one."

"Revolute? That's such a funny word." Olaf said with a giggle. "Did you know that if you rearrange the L, the O, the V, and the E, you'd spell 'love'?"

"Yep, we know, Olaf." Xion answered, folding her arms. She and Namine were eager to go help Kairi, but also knew deep down they wouldn't be much help considering the unique situation. All they could do was stick around the sauna in case any Heartless showed up.

For Kristoff, Xion, and Namine, they were safe in the warmth of Oaken's whereas Kairi, Anna, and Elsa were still travelling, having no idea the fate of their friends. Bjorn and the sleigh managed to make it across the canyon thanks to the loss of the some of the weight that was bearing down. It didn't make the sleigh's landing any smoother. In fact, thanks to Kairi's body being so light, she nearly flew out of it upon landing, but managed to remain in the sleigh thanks to Anna and Elsa grabbing her by the skirt of her dress.

Thanks to Anna's shortcut on the way out of the palace, she and Elsa knew exactly where to go to return to the Earth Giants' Passage. Arendelle was coming further into their view once they had reached the fjord. The village and palace were still frozen under the dome, which meant the locals were still safely under Elsa's spell, but it only worried Anna more about how the Nattmara could have escaped despite there being no cracks or openings whatsoever. Elsa assured her that soon enough, the curse would be lifted, and everything would be back to the way it was as if there never was a curse.

"Come on! If we're right about the sword, this will all be fixed before we know it!" Anna encouraged as Elsa parked the sleigh in front of the waterfall, allowing everyone to hop off..

"At least Elsa's little arch of ice held up." Kairi sighed of relief as she hurried back into the cave.

Elsa chuckled. "It's almost like it was made with magic."

Anna hurried ahead, remembering where the dragon boat was from the last time. Kairi and Elsa trailed behind, also keeping an eye out for Heartless or in case the Nattmara decided to follow them, especially now that they only had one way in and one way out. It became tougher for Anna to see now that Kristoff wasn't here with his torch, but thanks to Kairi's magic, she was able to ignite a little light at the end of her Keyblade and lead the way back to the chamber where the dragon boat awaited them.

It was just as they had left it. There was no sign of anyone or anything coming in after they had already travelled through. Elsa was sure that the Nattmara would've caused some sort of havoc, but was relieved that the boat had remained in its stable condition. Kairi hopped into the boat right away and began digging for the sword with Anna and Elsa climbing in not long after that. The hull of the ship was a cluttered mess that only reminded Kairi of Sora's bedroom whenever he got too lazy to straighten it up. They tossed crates, oars, and barrels around, hoping the sword would be located underneath _something_. As luck would have it, there was nothing of value in the boat.

"We're too late." Elsa said in a low tone, feeling absolutely defeated.

Kairi placed her hands on her hips while scanning the rest of the area. "Maybe it was here long ago, and maybe someone beat us to it and discovered it first."

"No, we can't give up." Anna shook her head in denial. "We didn't come all this way just to give up and quit." She continued to kick dirt around only to reveal more dirt. "It _has _to be here."

Kairi and Elsa shared a hopeless look while Anna continued to dig through everything they had already thrown around. Nothing added up in her mind. Where else could the sword have ended up? It's not like Aren's body was recovered and buried somewhere. The sword couldn't have ended up at the bottom of the sea if the ship didn't end up there, right? The longer Anna searched, the more she could feel her soul just draining out of her body. The one hope she had at finally defeating her own nightmare and freeing Arendelle was gone. Anna's eyes flooded with tears as she collapsed on her knees, hiding her face from her sister and friend.

"Anna," Elsa said in a soft tone as she knelt beside her sister. "Please, don't cry."

"Don't you understand, Elsa? In a matter of hours, the Nattmara's curse is going to be permanent, and it's _my _fault." Anna sobbed quietly.

"No, please don't say that. If I had done a better job, I would have recognized the signs, and...none of this would have happened."

Anna wiped her tears, her eyes reddened. "Elsa...are you...better off without me?"

"What?" Elsa gasped, taking her sister's hands. "How could you say that? Of course I'm not! Anna, I'm only here because of _you._ Because you never gave up on me, and I'm not going to give up on you."

Kairi bit down on her lip as Anna basically asked the same question she had been asking in her mind for months now. It was easy for her to believe that many of her friends would've been better off without her, but it took hearing it from one of her own friends to realize that she was wrong to believe that. It was true that Kairi had been in some situations that had put her friends in danger, but she didn't ever want any of them to believe that she'd be better off without them if they ever put her in the same dangerous situations. No matter what, Kairi would go to the ends of the various worlds for her friends and she'd never have it any other way. She just had to start trusting in herself more.

"I'm not going to give up on you either. We can't give up on each other." Kairi said in a somber tone, kneeling down with Anna and Elsa. "The only way we can keep moving forward, is if we don't give up on ourselves. This time we're in, we need to rely on each other more than ever."

"Thank you, Elsa, Kairi." Anna said softly.

While Elsa helped dry her sister's tears, Kairi's eyes wandered up toward the top of the boat, where the dragon figure was. There was something strange that suddenly caught her attention. It was small, but looked like a reflective twinkling light. What could possibly be causing the light? She couldn't help but wonder.

"Hey, are you sure we looked everywhere in the ship?" Kairi asked, standing up and moving closer to the dragon figure.

"Yeah, why do you ask?" Elsa pondered, standing up and helping Anna up.

"Because, I think we might've missed a spot. We looked into the hull of the ship, which in a way, is like the belly. But, how does food go down into our belly?"

Anna bit down on her lip before gasping, knowing where Kairi was going. "We have to swallow it!"

Kairi smiled and nodded. "Exactly! And if the dragon swallowed Aren and the sword, but it didn't make it down into the belly, then it must be-"

"In the throat!" Elsa and Anna both said in unison.

Anna and Elsa both hurried out of the boat and back onto the ground to get a better look at the dragon figure. Upon going around the boat, the light got stronger until Kairi could point out the source of the light. Sticking out of the wide open mouth of the dragon appeared to be none other than the hilt of a sword, but it couldn't just be _any_ sword. It had to be none other than the Revolute, just as it was hinted at and described in The Saga of Aren.

"I can see it!" Anna exclaimed as looked directly up at it.

Elsa hummed as she also caught sight of the sword. "Looks like we'll need some help reaching it."

Kairi nodded, realizing that the sword was at least twice their individual heights high. She was about to volunteer to climb onto either Anna or Elsa's shoulders, but her mind had other ideas. She heard a particular voice, one that had been following her the entire time ever since the Nattmara was released. Kairi had hoped maybe she had finally escaped her own nightmare, but just like the Nattmara, hers continued to follow and now, he had finally caught up. She looked to the opening to the chamber and saw him, the Nightmare Sora, as she referred to him as. As much as Kairi hated having to face him, she knew that much like how only Anna could rid of her nightmare, she was the only one to free herself from hers.

"Anna! Elsa! You two take care of the sword, I'll take care of _him_." Kairi growled as she summoned her Keyblade.

"Kairi? Are you sure?" Elsa asked, knowing her magic could assist Kairi despite it risking the Nattmara finding them.

"This is _my _nightmare. I have to be the one to face it."

Receiving a nod of approval from Elsa, who went back to helping her sister, Kairi immediately moved to approach the Nightmare Sora. She refused to allow herself to be haunted by this any longer. With her Keyblade gripped tightly, Kairi stopped in her tracks, exactly ten feet away from the imposter, anticipating whatever he had planned for her.

"**Kairi, you ready to go home?" **The Nightmare Sora asked, an sinister sneer across his face.

"Sure, I'm ready to go home-" Kairi said in a calm tone as she crouched into position, ready for battle. "-Without _you_."

The Nightmare Sora released an anguish cry as waves of dark matter swallowed his body until it was in its pure darkness form once again. Kairi now had an idea of how he fought, which was almost exactly like Sora, but he also moved like a Neoshadow Heartless. She backed up and studied his movements as he sprinted toward her, charging up what would've been a hard swing had Kairi not blocked it. Following her block, Kairi immediately knocked him back and began unleashing a fury of horizontal and vertical slashes back to back. Although she managed to get a few hits on him, the Nightmare Sora was not going down without a fight. He recovered in the air before countering, sending Kairi tumbling back before she recovered with a back flip and got herself back on her feet.

Kairi shook off the Nightmare Sora's counter before dashing toward him, only for him to do the same, causing the two to meet head to head. He had an advantage thanks to him having the extra speed and ability to morph into the ground like the Shadows. However, it was also Kairi's advantage thanks to the amounts of Shadows she has fought in the past and practically knowing how they moved and attacked like the back of her hand. She dashed out of the way as he lunged up from the ground, attempting to land a critical hit to her, but she managed to evade his attack as well as cast a few Pearl spells at him, which proved to be a major weakness for him.

Weakened from the Pearl spells, the Nightmare Sora stopped in his tracks, trying to recover and unable to defend himself. Kairi took advantage of this and got close enough within a flash before smacking a number of blows with her Keyblade. She even managed to finish off a combo with a new technique she discovered where orbs of light burst from her Keyblade and circled around before joining together and creating a great explosion. The impact of the explosion sent the Nightmare Sora flying back, not giving him much time to recover before Kairi immediately went dashed in a flash with her Seven Wishes and sent him plummeting to the ground.

With the Nightmare Sora face down on the ground, Kairi gathered all the strength she could and aimed her Keyblade. The light started to build up at the tip of the blade before shooting directly toward him. He looked up and could only gasp before the light pierced through his body, bolts of light shooting all throughout. The Nightmare Sora cried out an ear-shattering shriek as the pure darkness started melting away, ridding Kairi of the what had been following her. She was finally free once again. She took a moment to breathe, basking in the relief that her mind and consciousness would no longer be a problem.

"Kairi? You okay?" Chirithy asked, popping out and snapping her out of her daze.

"Yeah. I'm okay, much better actually." Kairi said with a chuckle. She looked back and noticed Anna on top of Elsa's shoulders as the former reached into the dragon's mouth for the sword. "That was your plan?"

"We didn't have any other choice." Elsa grunted, feeling the pain in her shoulders from Anna's boots. "Anna, can you please hurry up? I feel your boots digging into me!"

"Okay, I'm sorry!" Anna apologized profusely. She gripped the hilt of the sword tightly and gave it a good few yanks before she finally pulled it out. "Got it!"

Elsa sighed of relief before kneeling down and allowing Anna to hop back onto the ground. "Great, now we have to lure the Nattmara to the fjord, and I know just how to do that. Follow me."

After hurrying back outside, and getting a good look at the sea, Elsa knew immediately what the perfect bait for the Nattmara was. She stepped onto the water, little ice patches forming as the balls of her feet made contact. To make the presence of her magic all the more obvious, Elsa stomped her foot onto the sea, causing the ice to spread all along and freeze _everything_. It was just as Anna had remembered it. She remembered Elsa running away and the sea freezing from her touch. Only this time, neither of them were alone. They had each other, and they had Kairi. Even if Anna had to face the Nattmara herself, Elsa and Kairi promised they were on her side and right beside her.

Elsa held up her spyglass and watched as the dark cloud of black sand travelled toward the fjord. It was was just as she had predicted. The longer she used her magic, the more aggressive the Nattmara was to react. Elsa was rather surprised they managed to escape it as much as they were able to.

As the Nattmara grew closer, Anna stepped in front of her sister while gripping the hilt of the Revolute tightly. She eyed the wave of black sand that had formed once again into the wolf monster that had been haunting her dreams for years. It didn't attack her right away and neither did she. It was almost as if they were both waiting for the other to attack, just to follow up with a counter attack.

"Alright, Anna, are you ready?" Elsa asked.

Anna took a deep breath before nodding. "Yes. I'm ready to face my nightmare."

Finally, Anna held up the sword and dash forward toward the creature. The Nattmara had no problem evading her attacks and trying to attack back. In fact, it slide of to the side before smacking her body onto the frozen sea, which was now only going to make everything more difficult thanks to the lack of traction between her boots and the ice. Anna shrieked upon impact against the ice before scrambling to get back up on her feet. The Nattmara howled before leaping across the great distance and landing right behind her, causing the ice to shake and knocking her off her balance. _Me and my clumsiness..._Anna thought to herself after falling once again.

Elsa knew her sister was strong, but this was not going the way she had planned, and it wasn't Anna's fault. The girl had _no training _in sword-based combat whatsoever. The fact that being a klutz was in her personality didn't help matters either. She would've rather had to deal with Hans one more time and have Anna beat him up for sure this time. Instead, Anna was having to deal with a _real _monster, one that was destructive and harming innocent people psychologically. Elsa gasped as she watched the Nattmara lunge at Anna, who had just gotten back up and was ready to fight back this time. She managed to block its swinging paw, but it didn't do much in the grand scheme of things.

Kairi was also growing more concerned as Anna's attacks on the Nattmara just didn't seem to be working very well. The creature was just too powerful for her to fight on her own. There had to be some way for her and Elsa to _at least_ help her out if the couldn't defeat it for her.

"This...isn't going very well for her." Kairi muttered.

Elsa shook her head. "We need to help Anna somehow."

"What if tried to trap it? Or corner it, or something like that?"

"Wouldn't that mean less room for Anna to escape if it attacks her?" Elsa asked, her voice filled with concern.

"Maybe, but it's just as much of a risk for Arendelle if we don't defeat it quickly." Kairi noted as she held up her watch. "It's 16:30, one hour before sunset."

Elsa gritted her teeth, her fingers rubbing her temples as her eyes darted between Anna and the Nattmara. Kairi had a very valid point, but right now, she had to make a decision of whether to raise the stakes and put Anna in an even more dangerous situation, or possibly waste time and put all of Arendelle in danger of being trapped in this curse forever. Time was ticking, and Elsa's pressure seemed to be reaching to the Nattmara, for it turned its attention away from Anna and sent a harsh glare toward Elsa, exposing its back side to Anna.

"Wait! I've got it! If we can distract the Nattmara, it'll expose its back to Anna, and then she can get a good spot to impale it!" Elsa suggested.

Kairi nodded, Keyblade ready. "Okay, let's go for it!"

Both girls got right to work on casting magic spells for the Nattmara to chase after. Elsa held up her hands and created a small blizzard above while Kairi continued casting Pearl spells and spinning the orbs of light around, as if she were playing with a toy that would distract a small child. The Nattamara snarled as it crept its way toward Elsa and Kairi, eager to feed off their magic almost like a drug, and leaving itself completely open to an attack from Anna.

"Now, Anna!" Elsa shouted.

Once Anna was back on her feet, she ran as fast and as carefully as she possibly could on the ice, raising the sword and ready to pierce the beast's back. Elsa started building a wall of ice that she intended to use to try and hold the Nattmara from moving any further and giving Anna full advantage to land a critical blow on the back. As she leapt up behind the Nattmara to pierce its back, the beast suddenly whipped around and smacked her clear across the ice, nearly knocking her unconscious from how hard she fell. While Anna struggled to get back up thanks to her rough landing, the Nattmara nearly leapt on top off her, keeping her pinned underneath its paw and getting ready to finish her off.

"Anna!" Kairi hollered her name.

Elsa instinctively sprinted toward the Nattmara, shooting ice spells at it and attempting to distract it from harming Anna. Unfortunately, the more ice spells she shot at the beast, the larger it grew. The Nattmara managed to avert its attention back to Elsa just as she had planned, but now she had something else in mind. The determined queen didn't care anymore. Somehow, she was going to find a way to protect Anna and defeat the Nattmara herself. She began firing a gust of ice at the creature as Kairi hurried over and knelt by Anna.

"Go! Get Anna out of here!" Elsa demanded.

"No! Elsa! I'm not leaving you here!" Anna yelled as Kairi tried to help her up.

"I'm serious! Go with Kairi and get some place safe!"

Kairi pulled on Anna's arm. "Come on, Anna!"

Despite refusing to leave her sister's side, Anna begrudgingly followed Kairi where they ducked behind a large boulder. She continued to peer from around the corner to make sure Elsa was okay. Kairi also took a peek and watched as Elsa switched between attacking the Nattmara directly with her ice powers or using them to create a wall to block its attacks. It also continued to get bigger with each time she attacked it, but at this rate, there was no other option with Kairi having the inability to do any substantial damage and Anna not standing a chance against it. For the first time since this curse started, the girls both felt completely hopeless.

"Kairi! I don't understand what happened!" Anna said in a distressed tone. "I thought I could defeat the Nattmara with a sword of myth!" She collapsed to her knees, hiding her face. "But what else can I do?"

Kairi fell down to her knees too, resting a hand on Anna's shoulder. "I wish I knew…" She shook her head, feeling as hopeless as Anna. "I was able to take care of my own Nightmare, so why couldn't you…" She stopped, thinking for a moment. There had a to be a logical explanation. "Unless…"

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-

Almost as if her heart was answering her own question for her, Kairi blinked and suddenly found herself in the Station of Awakening, but it wasn't just anybody's. She wasn't even levitating above her own. It was a stained glass platform that had shades of pink with a little bit of green, and had tulips scattered all throughout. The main portrait was Anna, standing front and center, with her hands over her chest, almost as if she was protecting her heart and portraits of Kristoff, Olaf, and Elsa surrounded her, indicating who the most important people in her life were.

_Chirithy had said the only one who can defeat a Nightmare that spawns from the deepest depths of a person's heart, is the one who the heart belongs to. Is it possible that the Nattmara does NOT belong to Anna? But if it isn't hers, then whose is it?_

Kairi looked behind down and noticed another stained glass platform below her. This time a blue stained glass platform that engulfed itself in snowflake patterns and contained portraits of Anna, Olaf, and an older man and woman, her parents. Elsa's body covered the center, and was in a ¾ pose with mostly her back exposed. It was almost as if she was shutting herself away from the world.

_Wait...Elsa? But, I thought she said she hadn't had a nightmare since she was little. How could this Nightmare belong to her?_

From Elsa's heart, a dark wave of dark matter erupted and out from the wave climbed out a wolf-like shadow creature, though not quite the full beast form it currently was. Kairi watched as the shadow roared before shooting itself across to Anna's Station of Awakening. She gasped involuntarily as she watched the wolf dive and bury itself into Anna's heart. Based on what Anna and Elsa had both told her, Kairi was beginning to make sense of everything.

_I remember! Elsa banished her Nightmare from her heart, and that's why she stopped having them, but it didn't destroy the Nightmare. So if her heart was strong enough to banish it, that means it had to go into a different heart. Anna and Elsa's hearts are connected. This means that when Elsa banished her Nightmare from her heart, that same one implanted itself in Anna's heart!_

_-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-_

"Anna! I know what's the problem!" Kairi burst out. "That's not your Nightmare! It's Elsa's!"

Anna gasped, her jaw dropping. "What? How is that even possible?"

"I believe that when Elsa's heart banished the Nattmara, it had to go somewhere else, and because you and Elsa share a really strong connection, it went into _your _heart!"

"That all makes sense now. All of her fear, her anxiety, her anger, and her sadness over the years, that's why I've always had the nightmares. It's because that Nightmare is linked to her negative emotions."

Kairi nodded. "Exactly!"

"We have to help my sister, but how?" Anna jumped back to her feet and peered back around the corner.

"I think I might know how." Kairi said while taking her hand. "We need to work together."

"Didn't we already try that before?"

"No, I mean, we have to _really _work together." Kairi explained, putting a hand on her chest. "Together, we make three out of seven pure lights that help retain the balance of our worlds. We share a special connection between our hearts. If we can bring our light together, we can help Elsa."

It sounded like a long shot in Anna's perspective, but at this point, Kairi had been there for her just as much as Elsa had, giving her permission to trust Kairi's idea. She nodded before gripping the Revolute and charging back onto the battlefield with Kairi right behind her. Unfortunately, Kairi didn't really know how to execute this idea, but thought they could at least get Elsa to somewhere safe and then move onto the next step.

However, it didn't go as planned, not even close.

The Nattmara had grown so accustomed to Elsa's ice magic that it started evading her attacks. Once Elsa tried to shoot icicles from below the ground toward it, the Nattmara jumped high before landing hard on the ground and nearly knocking Elsa off her balance. As the queen got ready to shoot another ice spell, the Nattmara slid around and knocked her to the side. With her down, the creature suddenly dissolved into black sand. Anna and Kairi stopped in their tracks, confused as to what the Nattmara was doing.

Before they had time to figure it out, the black sand shot into Elsa's chest, causing her to cry out in agony and pain until the sand had completely overtaken her heart.

"ELSA!" Both Anna and Kairi shouted in unison.

Now the most recent victim of the Nattmara, Elsa's blue eyes started glowing until they were pure yellow and her irises had begun becoming engulfed with pure darkness. Her breathing was no longer normal, it had now sped up until it was on the verge of hyperventilating. Black sand poured out of her eyes as Elsa lifted her head out and screamed in agony, snow shooting out of her hands and becoming an intense blizzard. Her shriek was enough to completely destroy the domes that had kept the village and palace safe for the past few days. Kairi and Annay shielded themselves from the fragments of ice that showered on top of them like a hail storm.

Elsa glared down at her frozen hands. All of her memories from the last twenty years started returning and floating back into her mind like a stream. She remembered hurting Anna unintentionally when they were children, she remembered her parents locking her up in the palace, she remembered everyone being afraid of her when they discovered her powers, including herself. It was her worst nightmare. Black tears started dripping down Elsa's face and onto her hands before she clutched those same hands into fists, causing icicles to start shooting up from the ground.

"I can't believe it, she's…" Kairi murmured.

"The Nattmara, it got to her." Anna's voice shook as she reminisced the pain Elsa had experienced only the year before, back when she felt absolutely alone and had nobody to turn to. "We have to help her!"

Kairi couldn't have agreed more, but Elsa had other ideas for her and Anna. She wanted to shut herself off from everyone again. She created an ice wall in front of Anna and Kairi before taking off and sprinting for the palace. It was the only place right now where she could be alone. Yet, Anna was not about to let her sister fall to her dark place like she already had once before. She took the lead with Kairi right behind her, both of them with their weapons in hand. Elsa had a way of leaving trails of icicles behind her, but thanks to each of the girls having a weapon, they were able to slice right through the ice to at least try to catch up to Elsa.

The chase got more complicated upon arriving in the village. Elsa was able to run past the possessed villagers easily, but Kairi and Anna were not so lucky. They didn't have time to deal with this. Kairi was not one to envoke direct violence on a human unless they deserved it, especially with a Keyblade, but desperate times called for desperate measures. As she and Anna were about to be surrounded by villagers, Kairi held up her Keyblade and cast Thundara. She cast it in a way that didn't harm the villagers, but was strong enough that the impact of the bolts hitting the ground would cause the area to shake a little and throw them off balance. The spell worked and once everyone was tumbling all over each other, Anna and Kairi made a beeline for the palace.

Elsa rushed through the entrance hall of the palace before climbing several flights of stairs to her royal chamber, the place where she could hide in peace and not hurt those she loved. Yet, she paced back and forth, almost feeling imprisoned by her chamber. Even if it was her room, Elsa felt like she couldn't even escape the expectations the people of Arendelle had of her. She whimpered while covering hear ears, blocking whatever voice was whispering words of discouragement in her ear. Anna and Kairi arrived to find her in the dark place she had sunk into once again

"No…" Anna muttered.

"My people...they are counting on me!" Elsa shouted.

**They cannot rely on you.**

"We know, and they _can_!" Anna cried out as she ran forward, gripping her sister by the shoulders.

"Leave! Leave! You're not safe here!"

**You are a danger to your kingdom.**

Elsa shouted, causing ice to travel from her body and all throughout the room, removing all sense of warmth and comfort. Kairi wrapped her arms around herself and shivered while a blizzard broke out around the three girls. As if freezing the room wasn't enough, Kairi looked out the window and noticed that the daylight was now shrouding in darkness as dark clouds began to block the sun completely. Flashes of lighting crashed down to the ground, surrounding the palace. It started to remind Kairi of the day Destiny Islands fell to the darkness. She didn't think it was possible for it to happen again with all of worlds' keyholes remaining sealed. Although, this situation was completely different.

_Is this what happens when a Princess of Heart falls...to the darkness? _Kairi thought in her head as she watched Elsa glare intensely at her and Anna. _No...she can't be gone for good! I can still feel her light! It's fighting!_

"Elsa! Please! We've been through this before and we can do it again! Just trust me!" Anna pleaded.

"Anna!" Elsa cried out.

**Your sister is better off without you.**

Kairi couldn't bear to watch this anymore. She knew that the harder Anna and Elsa fought this nightmare, the worse it got. It all made sense why the Nattmara got bigger whenever Elsa tried to use her magic against it. It was why Kairi couldn't defeat the Nightmare Sora at first. Simply fighting wasn't the way to go.

"Anna! We can't fight it!" Kairi cried out. "The only way to truly weaken the Nattmara, is to accept it, and then the light in our hearts will take care of the rest."

Anna sighed, holding her head low. "You're right." As much as she wanted to just keep trying to rip the Nattmara out of her sister, Anna knew that nothing seemed to work. This was her last resort and her last chance to save her sister. "Elsa, don't conceal it, feel it." Anna said in a soft tone. "Accept it, the nightmare, and then...let it go."

"Let...it…" Elsa muttered.

**Conceal it, don't feel it, don't let them in, don't let them see, be the good girl you're always meant to be!**

"ENOUGH!" Elsa shouted as she swiped her arm, icicles shooting out and narrowly missing Anna and Kairi.

"Elsa, just let it go!" Anna repeated, hugging her sister. "Just accept it, and let it go! Let it go!"

The more Anna talked to Elsa, the more she could feel her sister's light piercing through the darkness of her own anxieties. Her heart that had been racing nearly out of her chest started to slow down. Instead of her mind being plagued of failures, past, present, and possible future ones, Elsa thought about Anna. She thought about their childhood, and how they used to play together every day for every hour. She remembered when she was locked up in her room, but every day, Anna would try and come see her, and all Elsa would want was to see her too. Elsa remembered when Anna risked her life to find her and sacrificed herself to save her. Everywhere she turned, Anna was there.

For Elsa, as long as she had Anna, there was no need to be anxious or scared of the future. She knew that no matter what, Anna would always be by her side, just like she always had been. As the light from Anna's heart reached hers, Elsa's eyes started turning back from golden yellow to blue. It was here that Anna could see that her sister was returning. Her light was winning the battle, and all that was left was to vanquish the Nattmara out of her.

"Now, Kairi!" Anna yelled.

Kairi aimed her Keyblade directly at Elsa's chest, charging a beam of light. All she had to do was wait for Anna to step to the side. Once the opportune second had arrived, the beam of light shot from Destiny's Embrace and directly into Elsa's heart. She grunted from the impact of the beam hitting her, but her body began to glow as black sand flew out of her body, the same way he had when it first took control of her heart and mind. With Elsa's heart returning to its original state, the dark clouds outside drifted away, revealing the sun that was nearly on the brink of sundown and the ice that had frozen Elsa's chamber had melted away. Everything had begun reverting back to the way they were, but the queen had only one thing on her mind, her sister.

"Anna?" Elsa softly asked, trying to regain her composure.

Anna laughed, full of relief. "Elsa! You did it!"

"Yeah! You accepted the nightmare and believed in yourself." Kairi nodded in agreement.

"No, _we _did it, together." Elsa said as she held both Anna and Kairi's hands. "But, we're not out of the woods yet. It's almost sundown, and we still need to defeat the Nattmara. I saw the black sand seep out the window. I think it's going back out to the fjord.

"Then we're just going to have to follow it." Anna said confidently, exchanging nods of approval with Kairi and her sister.

The trio needed to hurry, and them running for the fjord wasn't going to be fast enough. Kairi thought for a moment before deciding to tap on her watch and summoned Bolt for assistance. Elsa created a sled that was big enough for all three of them while Anna tied Bolt up to the sleigh with rope. The sisters hoped that a dog would be fast enough to drag them back to the fjord, but only Kairi knew about his special powers. Once everyone was in, Kairi had Anna and Elsa hold on tight to her and each other. Gripping the rope tightly, Kairi called for Bolt to "zoom-zoom" and the dog took off at blinding speeds, managing to make it around tight curves, and even the sled stayed attached to him.

Bolt's speed was enough to get the girls out of the palace in less than a minute. Kairi sighed of relief as she realized the villagers would have nothing on them thanks to being able to zip right past them. Within seconds, they had all left the village and were back out on the fjord where it took a minute, but Bolt came to a stop right where the black sand was forming back into a wolf, but it was now a different kind of wolf. The wolf now looked more akin to a werewolf in the horror films that Kairi liked to watch at Halloween and it even pulled a couple swords out of its chest Anna had a feeling that the Nattmara had culminated the nightmares of her, Elsa, and Kairi to take a completely different form.

The three Princesses of Heart all began glowing as they shared the light power that passed within their bodies. "What is this? This isn't my magic." Elsa asked.

Kairi gasped, studying her own glowing body. "I think...it's our light. Our light is transferring into each other because of our connection."

"A transfer of power? If that's the case, then that means…" Anna guessed as she looked on toward the Nattmara that was ready to challenge the girls once again.

"Together, we _can _defeat the Nattmara." Elsa said with the utmost confidence. She held her hands up, ice magic ready. "What do you say girls?"

Anna gripped the Revolute tightly and pointed it up. "I say we finally rid our kingdom of this curse!"

"Light!" Kairi called out as she stuck her Keyblade up. "Let's go!"

Kairi checked the time on her watch. It was 17:15, fifteen minutes away from sundown. The Nattmara was obviously just as aware of the time as she was. It wasted no time in lunging toward the girls with a cross slash attack that would have hurt immensely if neither of them had dodged out of the way. Elsa aimed behind and shot an ice spell at the back, causing the Nattmara to roar in pain. Anna and Kairi got closer before wailing attacks, which was noticeably a lot easier this time around. The Nattmara swung once of its blades and knocked Kairi back until she went into a backflip and countered with a Pearl spell.

Anna could also feel herself getting much stronger this time around. She held up the Revolute and guarded the Nattmara's attempt to attack before she went for the feet and swung the blade, knocking the Nattmara off its feet. Elsa saw this as a perfect opportunity to try and make the beast completely immobile and began freezing its limbs while Kairi and Anna continued to smack it with their weapons. Kairi even got to try her Explosion finisher again and continued to find great satisfaction out of it.

Despite the Nattmara being weakened by Anna and Kairi, it was still strong enough to break through Elsa's ice. It shattered the ice that tried to trap it before nailing the queen with consecutive swings of its swords. Elsa cried out in pain before she was tossed off to the side. Kairi rushed over to her side and cast Cure on her to help her get back up. Meanwhile, Anna found herself facing the Nattmara once again, but the wolf was looking to get another fierce hit on either Kairi or Elsa and hurried towards them, leaving its back exposed once again. Feeling like it was her last resort, Anna rushed close behind and nailed the Nattmara's tail into the ground with the Revolute.

The Nattmara roared in anguish, giving Kairi and Elsa a chance to recompose themselves. They knew it had to be all or nothing now with time running out and with the creature now weakened thanks to its tail being nailed into the ground. Elsa used all of her strength and ice to freeze the entire lower half of the Nattmara's body as well as freezing its arms completely once again. With the creature now completely immobilized, Kairi knew there was only way to finish off such a creature of the darkness. She looked to Anna and Elsa, who gave her nods of approval to finish it off.

Kairi twirled her Keyblade before jerking it straight forward. It started charging a beam of light, but she wasn't about to do this on her own. She looked to Anna and Elsa and jerked her head toward herself. The sisters didn't need any words to know what Kairi's intent was. Anna and Elsa each got behind Kairi on either side of her and rested one of their hands on top of hers, almost as if all three of them were holding onto the Keyblade. Kairi gritted her Keyblade, remembering the connection all three of the girls shared, and fired a light that pierced directly into the Nattmara's body.

The electrical current from the light travelled all throughout the creature as it roared, indicating its demise and defeat. The wolf-like body had turned to black sand once again, only this time, the sand faded away completely. Kairi gasped as she looked up to the sky and saw that the haze was also fading away, revealing a beautiful pink and orange sunset. Although she and the sisters didn't see it happening, the villagers had reverted back to their normal selves, only to collapse back into a deep sleep that they hadn't had in several days. They had done it. The curse on Arendelle had been broken.

"It worked!" Kairi laughed. She looked over at the two sisters, who were reconciling now that the curse had finally been lifted.

"Anna!" Elsa hugged her sister tightly. "I'm so sorry. I should've listened to you, and...I should've let you help me."

"It's okay. Elsa, it doesn't matter whose right or wrong. I just want to be part of your life. I love you." Anna said as she gripped Elsa's hands.

"And I love _you_."

Anna and Elsa continued to embrace each other, leaving Kairi with a warm fuzzy feeling in her heart. She knew right then and there that Anna and Elsa's lights were each other. As long as they had each other, they'd always be okay to pull each other out of the darkness. As much as she hated to ruin the sweet moment between the sisters, Kairi did remind Anna and Elsa that they most likely should try and figure out where Kristoff, Xion, and Namine were since they hadn't seen them since their leap of faith off the sleigh. There was that issue of where they would've ended up or whether they were even safe or not.

Figuring if they went anywhere at all, it'd be Oaken's Trading Post, Kairi, Anna, and Elsa started out in that direction. It was getting easier to hike since the weather was starting to warm up again, which meant the snow was starting to melt. In fact, there were a lot of trees that dripped melted snow onto Kairi's head. It was still cold though, and she knew she was going to need a hot bath after this trip. Once they had arrived at Oaken's, the trio were relieved to find Xion, Namine, Kristoff, and even Olaf all standing on the front porch watching for them. They didn't even wait for the girls to get to the shop completely before running toward them.

"Xion! Namine!" Kairi waved her friends over. "You guys are okay! How did you-?"

"Oh, just a nice little sleep spell was enough to take care of Sorenson." Namine said with a shrug.

Kristoff caught up, catching his breath. "We started coming down as soon as we saw the sky return to its normal color."

"Kristoff!" Anna cried out his name before running in his direction.

"Anna!" Kristoff hurried over to scoop the eager princess into his arms and plant a kiss on her lips.

Elsa laughed, getting a kick out of the reunion. "Well, before we celebrate too much, we still have one thing left to do. We still have to cure The Blight."

"Well, we ended up hiding out here at Oaken's Trading Post. He has plenty of hot spring water there. We gave some to Sven, so let's see if he recovered!" Xion encouraged before running back into the trading post.

Back inside, Sven lay down by the fireplace. He wasn't a fan of everyone staring at him, but figured this was a moment where he didn't have much of a choice. He had been given a lot of spring water, so all Kristoff and the others could hope for was for Sven to make a decent recovery, even if it was just a little. After several minutes, the white didn't disappear from his fur coat necessarily, but judging by the way his eyes opened smoothly and held up his head nice and steady, it was apparent that Sven was starting to recover.

"Sven! Buddy! You're okay!" Kristoff cried out in happiness as his reindeer jumped up, knocking him over like a large dog.

"This means the rest of the animals and plants should recover too." Namine said in a confident tone.

Xion chuckled. "Who would've thought this? Just a drink of spring water."

"I guess it only further proves that every world is different, and every world has its own light, darkness, and magic." Kairi said while watching Elsa converse with her people. _Maybe...being a Princess of Heart, is its own kind of magic._

"And every world has its own snowman!" Olaf perked up. "But wait...there can't be more than one world, that's just silly."

Kairi laughed while shaking her head. "Oh Olaf, there's so much we have to learn about the world around us. Every world has its own myths and legends and stories."

"Kairi's right. That myth about the Revolute must've been true if Anna was able to slay the Nattmara with it." Xion believed, having no idea of what happened during the battle.

"Well, Anna wasn't the only one who did it. Somehow, through our own magic, Anna, Elsa, and I were all able to defeat it _together._" Kairi noted.

Namine tugged at some hair strands. "So...you _didn't _need a thing of myth."

"Wait!" Olaf gasped. "R-E-V-O-L-U-T-E…if you rearrange those letters, you get T-R-U-E-L-O-V-E! True love!"

Anna, who had been listening to the conversation with Elsa, shared a bright smile with her. "Olaf...is right. Maybe we _did _defeat it with a thing of myth."

"I agree. The love we share...that is a thing of myth." Elsa said while squeezing her sister's hand.

"Oh, I just _love _true love!" Olaf sighed. "Maybe I'll love it more once my foot stops hurting."

"Your foot still hurts?" Xion asked, scratching her head.

Olaf nodded. "Yep. I'm just falling apart already, no big deal." He said sarcastically.

"Well here, let me look at it." Kairi said as she knelt down, having Olaf sit on a rock in front of her. "Let's see here…" She took his foot in her hand, causing him to laugh loudly. "What?"

"I'm sorry, I'm just _very _ticklish." He breathed out through his laughter.

Kairi giggled while shaking her head. "Sorry Olaf, it'll just be a moment." She peeked at the bottom of his foot and saw something poking out of it. "Oh, I think I just found out what's bothering you." She gripped the small item and gently pulled it out.

Olaf gasped as he kicked his foot around briefly. "Oh! That feels _so much _better!" He sighed of relief.

"Hey! What do you know?" Kairi stood up and showed what she pulled out to Xion and Namine. "It's my seashell!"

Namine giggled before kneeling down to Olaf's level. "Looks like Olaf was keeping it safe the whole time, right?"

"Of course I'm always happy to help!"

"Looks like we won't need to stick around for much longer after all." Xion said as she sighed of relief.

"What? You mean...you're leaving already?" Olaf asked, his smile fading away. "But...we only just met."

"Yeah, true." Kairi said with a sigh. She smiled as she knelt down and placed Olaf into her lap. "But you know what, you did something that really helped us out a lot, and we'll never forget that. You'll understand it when you're older." She said as she hugged the snowman.

"Warm hugs for everyone!" Olaf announced before Kairi, Namine, and Xion all scooped him up in a warm embrace.

"Is someone having a warm hug party without us?" Anna teased.

"Of course not! Everyone is invited!" Olaf said in a perky tone as he hopped off of Kairi and hurried to Anna and Elsa. "I guess there's not enough me to go around at once."

Elsa laughed as he patted him on the back. "You're right about that."

After Oaken gifted Anna and Elsa an endless amount of spring water, the sisters felt that it was time to return back to Arendelle. The villagers had all awoken by now, having no recollection of what had occurred, which was for the best in Elsa's opinion. Instead, she and Anna returned to the kingdom with the news of the spring water and that they would be making rounds to share it with their crops and animals. This time, Anna would be accompanying Elsa and helping her. Kristoff planned to go visit the rock trolls within the next day or so to make sure they returned back to the forest safely, and Sorenson was eager to return back to his tower now that he was awake and the curse was lifted. When all was said and done, life had begun to return back to normal for Arendelle.

Kairi, Namine, and Xion spent overnight in Arendelle for one more night to get a good night's sleep after having not slept for almost three days straight. The next morning, the sun shone brighter than it had in over a week. The snow had also melted for the most part with the exception of a few patches here and there. Kairi admired the autumn scenery that she never got to see because of living on an island, and wished she could've stayed longer, but with the next seashell found thanks to Olaf, it was time to get moving again.

"Here are the dresses we borrowed. Thanks again, Anna." Kairi thanked her as she handed back the folded garments, dressed back in her normal pink getup.

"What? You just got here." Kristoff said while arching an eyebrow.

"Yeah, but we gotta go. Sora's out there somewhere still." Xion nodded.

"That's right." Elsa said before she exchanged a hopeful look with Anna. "We appreciate everything you did for us, Kairi, Namine, Xion."

Kairi nodded, smiling warmly. "Of course." She stepped forward and placed her hands on Elsa's shoulders. "There's never a need to be hard on yourself. You've got your friends and your family behind you the whole way."

"Kairi's right, you know." Anna said as she held her sister's hand.

"Yes, she is. It's up to _us_, Anna, to protect Arendelle and maintain how it was during Mother and Father's reign." Elsa said in a calm and confident tone.

"I'm with you, one hundred percent of the way."

"And we're with you too!" Kairi said as Xion and Namine came closer.

"Thank you." Elsa thanked them. "I wish you the best in your search. We are here to help if you ever need it."

"Yep. We're in your corner!" Anna said with a nod.

Kairi smiled as she rested her hand on her chest. "Anna, Elsa, thank you. I'll remember that." She curled her hand into a fist as she could feel the warmth her chest spreading throughout her body. "May your heart be your guiding key." She murmured under her breath.

Wishing the girls the best, Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, Sven, and Olaf all waved them off watching as they travelled out of the village and back into the forest to return to the ship. For Kairi, visiting Arendelle was more than she ever could've asked for, and she couldn't thank Anna and Elsa more for helping her discover the true potential she had as a Princess of Heart, that her power could reach out beyond her connection with Sora, that she was more than she ever thought she was. All Kairi could hope for was that one day, she'd be able to return to Arendelle and keep that special bond with her fellow princesses strong.

Little did Kairi know that one day, she _would _return to Arendelle. For it was only a matter of time before darkness would strike Arendelle once again.

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**A/N: And that's a wrap for Arendelle! Seriously guys, if you're a Frozen fan, go read "Forest of Shadows", which is the novel that I based this world's plot off of. It's a really fun read and the author did a great job writing it! I've actually also started on the next chapter, so it won't take nearly as long to upload the next one.**

**With that, stay safe and healthy guys! I love you all, my Oathkeepers!**


	44. Frozen Heart

**A/N: Chapter's a little on the shorter side today due to other projects, but we'll get back to the longer ones next!**

* * *

Chapter 44: Frozen Heart

Despite early winter transitioning back into autumn in Arendelle, there was one area where the snow remained, the North Mountain. It was absolutely necessary in order for Elsa's ice palace to remain, as well as Marshmallow, her snow monster, and the snowgies, which were tiny little live snowballs that were created the last time Elsa was sick over the springtime. Ever since returning to Arendelle to take her place as queen, Elsa hardly visited her ice palace except to check on Marshmallow and the snowgies. The North Mountain was a rather steep climb and hardly any of the villagers ever tried to travel that high with Kristoff being the main exception and the only purpose being to keep his ice harvesting business afloat.

The lack of human interaction made the North Mountain a perfect place for anyone who wanted to be alone to travel to. It also offered a breathtaking view thanks to the evening sunset that gave off a pinkish hue to the snow. As Aros and Kaguya arrived on the North Mountain through their dark tunnel, the emptiness made it all the more comforting that they had someplace where they could be alone. They didn't have to deal with any of the pressures from Luxu and they didn't have to worry about running into Kairi and feeling obligated to stick to their mission. Instead, the two of them stepped closer to the edge of the cliff, their boots leaving defined footprints that Kaguya found very entertaining.

"This view is so...incredible." Kaguya marveled.

"Hey, that's a new word you've never used before." Aros chuckled.

"I can't help it! It's just...wow…" She gasped. "It's not every day you look at the world and you see something so beautiful."

Aros turned and gazed at her. She was right. It wasn't every day that he looked at the world and saw anything beautiful. In fact, the world to him felt like nothing but a dark prison, and there was not much he could do to fix that. Yet, there was a part of him that made him want to make the most of what he _did _have. If there was one thing he did have, it was a special connection to Kaguya, someone that he thought of only as comparable as a business partner a month before. Everything was different now, and he didn't want to go back to how things were before this.

"Well, it's all yours to enjoy." Aros said as he stretched his arms.

Kaguya sat down, only for her to shiver right away. "I just wish it wasn't so cold…"

"No problem." He held out his Keyblade and started a fire right beside them.

"Much better." She sighed with a nod.

As the fire burned, warming the surrounding area quite well, Aros and Kaguya kept their gazes fixated on the sunset. It moved slow, but neither of them had anywhere else to go. It was almost as if they had completely forgotten about their mission. The silence between them, accompanied by the crackling sounds from the campfire, made for a relaxing evening. Kaguya didn't even know the meaning of the word 'relaxation', and just shut her eyes, basking in the moment. Aros did too, not evening remembering the last time he just sat around and emptied his mind out, enjoying the world around him.

The hour grew later the farther the sun set. With that, the temperature started to drop. Aros ran his hand along one of his arms, feeling a bit of a chill. He checked Kaguya only to find that she didn't appear to be bothered by the cold at all. Was she just not saying anything? If he was starting to feel the chill, she had to as well considering her body was more petite than his and probably would not survive this weather without any source of warmth.

"You still warm enough?" Aros broke the silence.

Kaguya nodded. "I want to know though…" She paused, waiting for him to look at her attentively. "Why does everyone hate the snow?"

"Uh…" He clicked his tongue, trying to find an answer. "Probably because it's so cold, and it tends to make life difficult." He sighed, leaning back and staring up. "You could say it's why people hate the darkness so much. Sun and warmth are light, while the darkness is cold and threatening...just like...snow."

"Oh...well, I like the snow." Kaguya giggled. She picked some up and molded it in her hands. "It may be cold, but it's not all bad. It's so soft, and pretty, and animals seem to like it too, right?"

"Yeah...especially animals with a lot of fur."

"I'd like to live in a place like this with a lot of snow." She said with a sigh. "But...I'd also like to be in a place where it's really warm. Both are great…"

Aros sighed, bringing his knees up to his chest. "I'd like to be in a place that's warm. I hate the cold…" Kaguya looked over at him with concern. "Kaguya, there's nothing like feeling true warmth inside and outside your body. Then again, someone like me, probably doesn't belong in a warm place."

"What do you mean?"

"We're beings of darkness. People don't like the darkness infiltrating on their precious world of light." Aros scoffed softly. "Maybe I should just...disappear...into a place like this, a world that's full of snow, where it's always dark and cold, a place where nobody would have to acknowledge me and my existence."

Kaguya held her head low, her hand brushing her knee. "It sounds...lonely."

"I mean, sure. It'll be lonely, but where else can I go? What does the world have to offer me? I don't even know who I truly am…"

"Y-You don't?"

Aros shook his head. "When I'm awake, I'm me. When I'm asleep, I'm somebody else. When I'm here with you, I'm me. When we're chasing down Kairi, I'm somebody else. It doesn't make any sense."

Kaguya watched as Aros held a hand to his head. She hadn't given those thoughts any consideration. She just assumed that this was who she was and what she was mean to do in her life. What else was there for her? Kaguya bit down on her lip, allowing her mind to wander deep in thought. She started to think about what would happen after the mission. Where would she go? Other than staying at the headquarters with Luxu, Kaguya didn't have a home. She didn't have any friends or family, or did she? Would she see Aros again after? Or would they go their own way?

"You know, there's a lot I don't know about myself either." Kaguya muttered. "Like, I have memories of my past, and yet, I don't, you know?"

"Like...what memories?" Aros asked.

"I...I can't...remember them. I'm sorry."

"It's alright. Nothing you can do about it."

"Sometimes, I feel so lost, and I wonder what I'm doing here, and why I'm doing it. But then I remember that Master Luxu is the one who found me...in the Realm of Darkness. It was...lonely. Not many people go down there." Kaguya explained softly.

"I can imagine."

Kaguya folded her hands, keeping them close. "I had no sense of anything, really. I just felt really cold, sad, angry, and…"

Aros looked over at her, waiting for her to finish. "And…?"

"Guilty…"

"Guilty? For what?"

"I wasn't sure. I'm still not sure." Kaguya shook her head.

"Oh, so you still have those feelings?" Aros asked softly, earning a nod in response. "That's gotta be rough. I feel that way too, most of the time. I don't even know what I'm supposed to feel to begin with. Luxu acts like I'm just a one-note robot who will do whatever he says, when that's far from the case. The only time he gives me the time of day is when he wants to tear me down for not 'taking care of Kairi'." He sighed, staring down at his hand. "This...can't be all I'm good for, not when there's so much of this world to do and see. This can't be my destiny. Sora, Kairi, all of their friends, they all have their destinies. What's mine?"

"Well, I don't know much about destiny." She smiled and laughed softly. "But there has to be more to you."

Aros gasped softly. "You...you really believe me?"

Kaguya nodded. "You do something that nobody else can do."

"What's that?"

"You make me...smile." Kaguya said tenderly.

Aros stared at her for a moment, his heart pounding against his chest. It was true, he did know how to make her smile, and now that he knew, he was proud of it. He laughed softly, a smile forming on his own face. "Good. Because...I like it when you smile."

A shiver shot through Kaguya's spine upon laying eyes on Aros' own smile. Lately, there had been something different about it. It not only looked or felt sinister or threatening, but rather, it was genuine. One could almost call it contagious. Whatever she called it, Kaguya knew that when he shared it, she wanted to give it right back to him.

Kaguya laughed as she made a snowball. "You see? People don't have to hate the snow, not when you can make something pretty out of it."

"A snowball? Hmm, not bad, but that's nothing." Aros chuckled. He rolled the snow into a snowball himself before looking back at her. "Do you...do you wanna build a snowman?"

"A snowman? I don't even know what that is."

"Come here, I'll show you." Aros took her by the hand and helped her up. "If you think making a snowball is fun, you haven't seen nothing yet!"

Aros took a snowball and began showing Kaguya how to make a snowman, going through each step slowly. He even allowed her to roll the snowballs to make them larger when that was his favorite part. She gasped as the snowballs grew larger and larger the longer she rolled them. Aros could only laugh. The smallest things in life always made Kaguya smile and laugh and he loved it. Once all three snowballs were stacked to form the body of the snowman, Aros grabbed some stones and sticks to add the details. He stuck two sticks in each of the sides to make arms before starting to make a face. First the eyes, and then the nose, but then it came to the mouth. Aros contemplated what expression to give the snowman until Kaguya suggested just making him happy, so that's what he did with the rest of the stones. He also stuck the rest of the sticks from the top of the head to make hair. From a professional's point of view, it was a crude-looking snowman, but it was _their _snowman.

"He's really cute!" Kaguya giggled. "He kinda looks like you!"

"Hey! You saying I look really goofy?"

"N-No! Not at all! I...uh...I meant…" She stammered as her face flushed red.

Aros bust out laughing. "No need to get embarrassed, I was just joking."

"Joking?"

"It's a way of making yourself and someone else laugh. Sometimes you're so overwhelmed with joy and something is so funny that it makes you laugh." He explained.

"Oh, I understand!" Kaguya nodded.

Out of nowhere, she bent down and started making another snowball, but instead of just fiddling it, she chucked it right at Aros' face, laughing loudly from the impact, which was hard based on Aros' grunt. It took him a second to realize that he got pelted in the face with a snowball and if he could be honest, he was shocked. He didn't think Kaguya had it in her to suddenly start a snowball fight like that.

"Hey! What was that for?" Aros asked as he shook the snow off his face.

"What? I was joking!" Kaguya laughed.

"And just how is this a joke, might I ask?" He asked with a smirk.

"I'm laughing, right?"

Aros chuckled before making a larger snowball thanks to his bulkier hands. "Oh, is that what you think? Well, you're gonna get it now!"

"Uh oh!" Kaguya turned and ran, trying to avoid his snowball.

"Don't try to run from me!" He laughed.

Aros threw his snowball, nailing Kaguya right in the back. She grunted as the impact knocked her over onto the ground. At first, he wondered if he should be concerned about if he hurt her or not, but the thoughts immediately faded away as Kaguya bounced right back up and threw another snowball at him. Now, it was war! Aros held up an arm to defend his face, but the impact of the snowball was still hard enough against his arm. She was definitely much stronger than anyone gave her credit for. After ducking down to pick up a snowball, Aros watched as Kaguya shyly ducked behind a tree. He simply laughed. How cute she was for thinking a little tree could defend her from the master of sneak attacks.

Kaguya peered from around the corner, getting a quick peek at Aros before ducking behind again. She took a deep breath as her heart started pounding against her chest, her stomach also feeling like it was going to burst, albeit in a good way. She didn't think it was possible to feel this way, like she was levitating and like her soul had left her body. This wasn't anything like Kaguya felt when she was in the Realm of Darkness or even around Luxu. This new feeling only made her want to smile, and she didn't want to stop either. If this was going to happen every time she even looked at Aros, she wanted to do it all the time.

Trying to regain her composure, Kaguya took another peek around the corner, but saw that Aros was no longer in sight. She furrowed her eyebrows, wondering where the heck he had run off to? He wouldn't just leave her stranded, would he? Kaguya backed up only to find that Aros had actually snuck up behind her. She jumped at his presence and whipped around only to find herself _really _close to him, so much that she could hear his heart pounding against his chest the same way hers was. Aros could his body numbing and not from the cold either. He wasn't used to being this close to her, but if he could be honest, he wanted to be this close and yet, there was a part of him that doubted she wanted to be this close to him.

"Uh...I...uh...sorry…" Aros stammered as he rubbed the back of his head.

Kaguya quickly shook her head as she stepped back. "No! I'm...I'm sorry…"

"Oh, hey! Because it's dark out," He quickly brushed past her and returned back to their spot. "If the timing is right, the northern lights will appear soon enough."

"The northern lights?"

"Y-Yeah. It's something I remember learning about the last time I came here. You'll like them, trust me."

"I can't wait to see them!" Kaguya said as she took a seat next to Aros.

Just like Aros had predicted, a small pink beacon of light appeared in the horizon directly ahead. Kaguya had kept her focus on that light, having no idea that it was just the beginning. Suddenly, the light expanded before her very eyes. It was no longer just a small beacon of pink light, but now it was a sheet of color. Pink, purple, and green, a varied combination that was so appealing to the eye, especially for someone experiencing it or the first time.

"I can't believe it!" Kaguya laughed as she stood up. "I've just...I've never seen anything…" She looked like a small child who just woke up on Christmas morning to a truckload of gifts under the tree. It was a reaction that Aros was hoping for and he got exactly what he wanted. "Wow...it's so...beautiful!"

Aros laughed as he flashed a wide smile. "I knew you'd like them."

"Can we come see the northern lights again? I wanna see if there are any other colors!"

"Sure, why not? I'll bring you here every night if you really want to." He answered nonchalantly.

Kaguya laughed before sitting back down next to Aros, but this time, a little closer. The sides of their bodies brushed lightly against each other, giving each of them just enough contact to get the blood flowing and warming them up. Aros noticed how close she was and found himself in another battle, his self-control. She was so small and looked like she'd fit perfectly next to him if he just draped _one _arm around her. He began to slowly inch his arm over toward her, only for Kaguya to look back at him and ruined his chance. The mission had to be aborted this time, but he was sure there would be other times.

It had been a lovely evening on the North Mountain, but it was now getting late, and the northern lights were disappearing. The fire started to fade before finally going out. Now without a fire and with it being completely dark, Aros found himself shivering and rubbing his hands up and down his arms. Kaguya had done the same thing. Even though she loved the snow, she was started to understand why some people hated it. She was now freezing.

"Hey, you cold?" Aros asked, noticing her trembling.

Kaguya sighed. "Well, as much as I _am _enjoying the view, it is a little chilly out…"

"I expected as much, especially with the hour growing late. Come on," Aros helped her up off the ground, continuing to keep their hands locked as he held his free hand in front of him. "I know a place where we can go to warm up."

There was one place where Aros knew he could take Kaguya to where they could be alone and hopefully not worry about Luxu bothering him. For them, all it took was a quick walk through the darkness to arrive at their destination of choice. Upon arrival, the first thing Kaguya noticed in the large chamber were numerous shelves of books. It was as if she had seen in it in a dream and this was the first time seeing it in reality.

"Where are we now?" Kaguya asked, marveling at all of the bookshelves.

"We're back in Radiant Garden, but this is the library inside of the palace." Aros answered as he nodded his head over to the fireplace. "There, I can light a fire there and it'll warm us up." He released their hands before casting a Fire spell on the firewood, causing intense heat to spread throughout the library. "There we go, that oughta do it." He wiped his hands before turning around and noticing Kaguya still shivering slightly. "I guess you're not used to the snow, are ya?" Aros chuckled.

"Not exactly." She laughed along with him.

Aros walked over and grabbed the dark blue fleece blanket that was draped over a chair. "Here, maybe this will help." He said before wrapping it gently around her body.

"This feels really nice."

"This of it as a great big hug." Aros said in a tone that was more affectionate than either of them were used to.

Kaguya tilted her hand to the side as she held the blanket tightly around her body. "A hug?"

"Y-Yeah…" He quickly released his grip from the seams of the blanket and stepped away. "Like...when someone else wraps their arms around your body, that's a hug. It's supposed to make you feel really good. They always come in handy when the other person is hurting."

"Oh...I see…" Kaguya began browsing the bookshelves, deep in thought. "I'm not sure I've ever given a hug to everyone, but for some reason, I also feel like I have."

"If you have, I hope it wasn't to Luxu. I feel like hugging him would be like hugging a thornbush." Aros remarked with a laugh.

Kaguya sat for a moment and allowed herself to warm up before deciding to take a look around. She found the library hypnotizing, almost as if she had seen it before. How could she? This was only Kaguya's second time visiting Radiant Garden, and the first time was outside on the field. Her eyes were fixated on a table that had a chair next to it. Something about the chair had her gravitating towards it. Kaguya's hand brushed along the arm of the chair until it travelled all the up the back of it. It even had that familiar scent of peppermint. She shut her eyes and inhaled it, it was light and strong enough that it was intoxicating, sending her on a whirlwind through her senses.

This familiar setting had Kaguya instinctively looking toward the various shelves of books. There were so many, and she had never seen a collection like this. At least, she never remembered seeing a collection like this. Or...maybe she had. Yet, Kaguya remembered the shelves at one point were _much_ taller. Aros kept his eyes fixated on her, noticing how quiet she had become. He was used to her being on the quiet side, but it was almost like she wasn't there anymore. It was as if Kaguya was completely lost in her own world and nobody could reach her. He had been having strange thoughts lately, and had to know if she was thinking the same thing.

"What's on your mind?" Aros asked from right behind her.

"Hm?"

"You suddenly got really quiet."

Kaguya shook her head. "Oh, nothing. I guess I…" She stopped herself, staring directly into the eyes of Aros' helmet. She didn't want to hide anything from him anymore. He had been honest with her, so she wanted to be honest with him. "There's something about this place...I feel like I've been here before…"

"Like with Luxu?"

"No, I mean...a long time ago…" She softly said as she ran her hand along the spines of various books. "Like...I would come here...a lot."

Aros placed his hands on his hips and looked around. "You know, this place also feels familiar to me too, but I don't remember coming here that often. Maybe only once before." He gasped as a familiar memory flashed through his mind. It was a memory that didn't belong to him, and yet, he remembered it as his own. It was of him staring down at a young Kairi from above. She was in that same library, talking to who he assumed to be her grandmother, who was sitting in the exact chair the blanket was draped over. He didn't remember experiencing this, and at the same time, he remembered this exact moment. "Kairi…?"

"Huh?"

"Oh, nothing. Sorry." Aros shook the memory off. He couldn't help but stare as Kaguya curiously explored the library. He wasn't sure why, but he could feel that there was much more to her than even she was aware of.

Kaguya smiled as she brushed her hand against the various books on the shelf. She was drawn to the ones that were fairytales and pulled them out one by one, appreciating the illustrations on the front. One of them had an illustration of a woman slipping into a glass slipper, one of them had an illustration of a young woman sleeping underneath a forest of thorns, and one had a young girl with seven short men following her. This one made Kaguya laugh. She had never seen anyone that short unless it was a child.

After putting that book away, Kaguya pulled out the next one. She gazed upon the cover that had a little girl cloaked in red with a wolf in front of her. Something had clicked in her mind enough that unintentionally let out a soft gasp. Her hand softly brushed against the cover. Aros, who had been browsing close by, switched his attention to her, noticing her change in demeanor. He slowly walked closer to her, not wanting to spook her.

"What is it?" Aros asked from behind.

"I...I…" Kaguya stammered. "I know...I know this story. It's...Red Riding Hood, right?"

"Yeah. I know this story too." Aros sighed as his eyes scanned the shelves, taking in the various familiar titles. "I know a lot of these." His smile faded the longer he gazed at the books. "My...my mother…" He murmured, his voice barely over a hushed whisper. "She...used to read these to me all the time when I was little." Aros said instinctively before softly gasping. "It's been...so long...since I last saw her, my father too."

Kaguya rested a hand on Aros' as she saw him hanging his head low. "What are they? You know, a mother and a father?"

"Well, they're your parents. They are the grown ups that raise you. They teach you everything you need to know about life. Fathers can be tough sometimes, but they are also a lot of fun. Like mine is."

Aros shut his eyes and inhaled deeply. He could vaguely see two middle aged adults, but couldn't make out their appearance exactly. All he knew was he could feel a sense of warmth flowing through his body. It was similar to how he felt around Kaguya, but less intense.

"My dad taught me a lot. He taught me how to play sports, how to fish, and how to make tools out natural resources like wood and stone. He was also really good to my mom. He taught me what it meant to be a good man in the family and amongst friends." Aros reminisced.

"And...your mother?" Kaguya asked, tilting her head to the side.

Aros chuckled. "My mother was the best. She taught me how to cook. She had such a kind and gentle spirit. She always put me and my dad before herself. She also loved my father a lot, and had a contagious smile." He rested his arms behind his head as he exhaled blissfully. "I always said to myself that I'd like to find a girl just like my mother."

"They sound really lovely." Kaguya said with a smile.

"Do you remember your parents, Kaguya?" He asked unexpectedly.

Kaguya gasped at his question, not sure how to answer it. "I'm...not sure I have parents…"

"Well, Luxu sure doesn't make a good parent, so you had to have had someone better before him, right?" Aros jested.

Kaguya took Aros' question to heart. Did she have a family before this? What was everything like before Luxu found her? Did she even have a life before Luxu found her? These were too many questions that were flowing through her mind all at once. Kaguya turned her attention back to the Red Riding Hood book, hoping it would distract her. Otherwise, her headache that was developing was on its way to getting worse.

In her attempt to distract herself, Kaguya found her heart throbbing and feeling like an electrical current was travelling through it. Memories that didn't even belong to her started flashing through her mind. They were memories of this library, an old woman and a small red-headed girl sitting on that very chair reading together. She saw the night that Radiant Garden fell to darkness, and the damage it had done to the village. The pain that succumbed from the memories travelled to her chest and felt like pins and needles stabbing right in the middle of it. Unable to take the pain, Kaguya gripped the shelf and held her chest. She could only try to breathe and cried out, forgetting for a second that Aros was even there.

"Kaguya? Kaguya!" Aros ran over to her, gently taking her by the arms. "What's wrong?"

"My chest...it hurts…" Kaguya whimpered softly, her body shaking like a leaf. "Please...make it stop…"

"Hey, I've got you." Aros, for the first time, lowered his tone down to one that was soothing to her ears. This was a different side to him that she had never seen before, and it was already starting to help her. "You're still here. I'm here with you. Nothing and nobody is going to hurt you, okay? Just focus on me, okay?"

Kaguya nodded as she looked up, taking deep breaths and focusing on Aros' helmet. "I saw...I saw…"

"Shhh, don't worry about telling me that right now. Focus on bouncing back, because you can do it. You're strong." He said while running his hand up and down her arm, helping her take deep breaths. "You're okay. Nothing will hurt you while I'm here, okay?"

As her gaze intensified, Kaguya found herself falling apart in Aros' arms. She had held in so much, pain that she wasn't even aware that existed in her heart. As her sobbing continued, Kaguya buried her face into his shoulder. Something in Aros made him instinctively wrap his arms around her, and not loosely. They both knew Kaguya didn't know how to handle this pain. Aros only did what he could. His hand travelled up and down her back as he allowed her to release whatever pain had built up inside.

Aros let out a content sigh when he realized his gentle comforting gestures were causing Kaguya to calm down. Her sobs weakened to whimpers before they had simmered down to mere sniffles. Kaguya never moved though. She stayed in his arms, and it didn't take long for her to catch onto what he was doing, and the fact that he was what helped heal her of her pain. Aros hand travelled from her back and to her arm as he lost himself in a daze. This feeling of empathy for her was new and familiar all at the same time. All he wanted was to keep holding her like this until she was okay, and her grasping his hand was enough to know that she appreciated his comfort.

"Do you hurt anymore?" Aros asked as he gently pulled her out of the hug to look at her masked face, but could see that her revealed jaw was stained from her tears.

Kaguya shook her head. "No, I don't feel anymore pain."

"Good. See? I knew you'd bounce back." He chuckled, his smile fading as Kaguya held her head low. "What's wrong?"

"I guess...I was just...scared." She softly replied as she rested a hand over her chest. "I started to think about Kairi, and her past memories of this place, and then...that's when my chest started to hurt. I didn't know what was happening to me. And I still don't understand _this._ Am I melting?" Kaguya asked as she sniffled and wiped the tears from what little face was uncovered.

Aros laughed. "No, silly. You're crying. It's what happens when you feel really sad. Those are tears. They come out of your eyes when you cry."

"What? But...I've never cried before, and I've felt this way before."

"Well...to be fair, Luxu isn't exactly the type of person to cry around." He said with a sigh. "Can you tell me what is making you feel sad?"

Kaguya shook her head. "I'm not sure why I feel sad. Those past memories...they just make me feel really sad."

Aros breathed deeply before smiling. "Well, let's fix that then, shall we?"

Kaguya gasped softly as Aros gently pulled her back into his arms. She remembered him describing hugs only just before. It _was _like being wrapped up in a blanket, only better. Kaguya breathed deeply and buried her face into Aros' shoulder, her arms slowly working their way around his torso. For once, Kaguya lost herself into her own thoughts and emotions, not caring about anything or anyone else. She stopped caring about Luxu and the mission he had sent her on. It was about her and Aros, and that was it.

"Better?" Aros asked.

Kaguya nodded as she broke free from the hug and brushed herself off. "Yeah. You were right. They do come in handy when someone is hurting."

"Well, while we're here and warming up. How about a good book to cheer you up?" He suggested, looking at the shelves above them, pulling out one that had a dark blue cover and an illustration of a black-bearded pirate with a ship sailing on the high seas behind him. "Here, this one you might like. It's one of my favorites. It's The Adventures of Captain Blackbeard! Why don't you try reading this one?" He asked while placing the book in her hands.

"Well...I'd love to, but…" She held her head low before handing the book back to him. "I can't…"

Aros furrowed his eyebrows. "You don't how to read, huh?" Kaguya shook her head shamefully, feeling as if she didn't know a basic necessity of life. "I guess Luxu wasn't a fan of teaching basic reading, writing, and arithmetic." He chuckled. "Well, lucky for you. This is a perfect book to read out loud with someone else." Aros took Kaguya by the hand and led her back over to the fireplace where they both sat down. "Here, sit by me." He patted the spot next to him. "There's really pretty illustrations for you to look at while I read it to you."

"Okay!"

Kaguya eagerly sat beside the fireplace and pulled the blanket further around her. She almost looked like a cocoon sitting upright by the time Aros joined her. There was something really adorable about it that he couldn't quite get out of his mind. He scooted close enough to her that she could see the hand painted illustrations. There were a lot of words that Kaguya couldn't make out, but upon seeing words and phrases and following along with Aros' reading, she could feel herself catching on, almost as if reading was a skill that she had lost and it was now coming back to her.

As much as she was focused on following along, Kaguya also became really invested in the stories, constantly interrupting him to ask questions or to predict what was going to happen next. It was almost like how a child would act when a family member or parent was reading their favorite story to them. Aros laughed as Kaguya gasped upon seeing one of the illustrations that went with an intense action sequence. If that wasn't enough, it became a game of twenty questions as the climax of this particular story grew.

"Kaguya, you gotta wait and see." Aros laughed after she asked another question.

Kaguya bit down on her lip. "I'm sorry. I just never knew books could do that."

"Do what?"

"Take me away from this place and make me forget who I...or _what _I am…" She said, her smile fading away.

Aros nudged her gently. "You know, there's nothing wrong with that. It's books like this one that made me want to see all the different worlds out there, and they still make me wanna see every single one of them." He chuckled while rubbing the back of his head. "You know, I can remember when I was just a kid, dreaming of being really strong like the heroes I read about in the storybooks. I always felt like such a complete loser. Always thinking, 'Will I ever be the hero? Will I ever beat the bad guy? Will I ever get the girl?' It's hard being a kid and feeling like nobody believes in you."

Kaguya paused before she rested her hand on Aros' arm. "I believe in you."

"Thank you." Aros said softly as he watched Kaguya run her hand along his arm.

"Aros, can I ask you one more question?" She asked, him nodding in response. "Can we continue the story so I can see what happens next?"

Aros laughed before setting the book between them. "Sure. Let's keep going."

As the story continued, Kaguya nestled back into her comfort zone and even found herself resting her head on Aros' shoulder. Together, by the fire, in this quiet library, the two of them had no reason to feel alone as their story took them out of the real world into one of adventure. At last, they felt like they were home.


	45. Dreams of Oblivion

Chapter 45: Dreams of Oblivion

With the curse of Arendelle now broken, Kairi and her friends immediately set course for their next destination, which was thankfully not too far from them. It wasn't so much being able to continue on their journey that was relieving, it was being in a warm ship and having the ability to sleep again that made the trip all the more enjoyable. This was especially true of Chirithy, who was relieved to be sipping his cappuccinos again. Namine was able to take some downtime and sketch out some of the gorgeous scenery from Arendelle, including adding a dancing Olaf right in the middle of it. Xion simply lounged around, playing a video game on the TV.

As much as she relaxed, Kairi couldn't stop thinking about the Nightmare Sora that had followed her around. It wasn't uncommon for her to have nightmares about herself or her friends in dangerous situations, but seeing it in reality was a whole different experience. What baffled her the most was the fact that she almost fell for it. She should've known right away that it wasn't the real Sora, or so she thought. Even two years ago, Kairi could tell that a lone little Shadow Heartless was Sora, even if it was based on the shape of his calves. What was different this time?

"I gotta admit Kairi, you handled that Nightmare of yours like a master!" Chirithy complimented as he sipped his coffee.

"A master? What do you mean? Like a Keyblade master?"

"Well...sort of. I mean, dreams aren't the easiest things to understand. That's why we dream eaters exist." He shrugged.

Namine laughed as she drew in her sketchbook. "I think what Chirithy is trying to say is that you've really improved recently!"

"Oh, thanks." Kairi laughed sheepishly. "But, I'm not sure I'd consider that 'mastering'. I mean, I was bound to figure out that it wasn't the real Sora sooner or later."

"True, true, but you still...kinda let yourself wander off that one time still." Xion pointed out.

Chirithy nodded. "Yeah, you still gotta be careful with that."

"Hey, it was one mistake and I took care of it, didn't I?" Kairi asked in an annoyed tone.

"Yeah, we're not saying that. Like we said, we just don't want anything happening to you." Namine said while closing her sketchbook. "I'm starting to agree with what Yuffie said. The longer this journey goes on for, the tougher our enemies are getting."

Kairi sighed, turning back in her seat. "Yeah, but we're also a lot stronger this time around. And now that we're only five pieces short of completing my lucky charm, we're gonna find Sora in no time." She pressed her hand against her chest, thinking deeply. "Nothing can get in my way now."

"Unless you get hungry." Chirithy joked, Namine and Xion laughing along with him.

"Hey, when did it become 'Let's Pick on Kairi Day'?" Kairi asked while pouting.

Xion laughed and shook her head. "Sorry, Kairi! You're just adorable like that!"

"Great…" Kairi sighed heavily. "Who's ever gonna take someone with an 'adorable' label seriously?"

"Come on, Kairi. We're just having some fun. Of course we take you seriously." Namine said as she stood from her seat and joined the redhead at the pilot's seat. "Pretty sure this is lack of sleep talking. You're usually not your perky self when you're tired."

"Thanks, but I'll be fine." She took a look back at Namine's sketchbook that rested on her seat. "How's the artwork coming?"

"Pretty well, but I'm giving my wrists a break."

"Good idea. Can't have you getting carpal tunnel in the middle of the adventure." Kairi laughed.

Xion looked over and noticed Kairi's journal sitting off to the side. "Do you still write in your journal? You haven't really written in it in a while."

"I do, sometimes. Usually I do it to log what worlds we visit and what happens there, more than anything." Kairi answered with a shrug.

"What about writing to Sora? You still write the letters?" Namine asked as she sat back in her seat.

"Not really. I've kinda stopped. There's almost no point to it anymore. I don't really have much to say other than the usual show up, fight Heartless, find seashell, and leave."

"What? But...I thought you did it because you just liked talking to Sora. It's not like you were intending to send them, right?" Xion asked, a puzzled look on her face.

"Right, but...I guess, I don't know. I've just gotten busy in the worlds we've visited, I guess." Kairi laughed, a wide smile spreading across her face. "But, like I said, soon enough, we'll find Sora, and then I can talk to him for real."

"Yep, we're all looking forward to it." Namine nodded. "It'll be nice when everything's back to normal again."

Xion smirked before nudging Namine in the arm. "Yeah, more time for you and Riku to bond, huh?"

Namine could only blush. "W-well...it _would _be nice. It'll be nice to see him in better spirits again."

"Maybe he'll stop being such a big chicken and ask you out on a date."

"Oh Xion, that's not gonna happen." Namine shook her head in denial. "He gets...rather shy."

"Then, maybe _you _should!" Xion suggested. "I mean, it's pretty obvious at this point. I'm surprised he doesn't know how you feel."

"Is it?"

Xion laughed. "Judging by the amount of times you've drawn yourself with Riku in your sketchbook, I'd say it's pretty obvious." She sighed as she saw Namine's face flush even redder than Twilight Town's sky. "What's wrong Nami? You that embarrassed?"

"It's...not that." Namine said in a low tone. "I've...never really said this to anyone, but...I'm kind of confused. Because...there's a part of Riku's heart that lingers from the past, and it makes me question if that's why I feel such a connection to Riku, or if it's genuine, you know?"

"I think so." Xion scooted closer. "I'm no expert on this kind of stuff, but I guess you just have to ask yourself what your heart wants. The heart doesn't lie. It's like Kairi said. Your heart just...knows. Right, Kairi?"

Kairi smiled and nodded. "Yeah." She leaned back in her seat and looked further out into the horizon. "My heart...it knows. It knows that wherever Sora is, he'll be okay until we find him."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

In the realm beyond existence, the realm that lay between sleep and death, the world where the sky met the sea, the gentle strokes created by Sora's arms were enough to keep the young man floating blissfully down to nowhere. The sea simply went on forever, as did the sky. If Sora had to be trapped in a world that wasn't his own, it was a nice and safe place to be. He didn't have to worry about any Heartless, Nobodies, Unversed, or anything of the sort attacking him. Granted, even if they did, he wasn't sure how well he'd hold up against them considering he lost his ability to use the Power of Waking and surely the rest of his powers were weaker if not completely lost from a lack of training.

Still, the optimistic young man who risked everything for his friends didn't dwell on it. Sora, having no choice in his circumstances, treated the days as normal despite feeling different to how he would have felt in the real world. He would sleep, but never feel tired. He never ate, but never felt hungry. There was nothing really to do in this world, but he never felt bored, but rather relieved that it was familiar place where he could not only feel safe, but also still feel his connection to the girl who meant the most to him.

"I'll be...okay." Sora murmured blissfully. "Yeah, I'm still okay." His smile faded as he sat up and looked down at his hands that seemed to be fading in and out. "But… are _you _okay?"

Ever since Kairi departed Destiny Islands on her journey, Sora had been experiencing more episodes where he felt like he wasn't at peace, but rather, in pain or frightened. He knew whenever Kairi was in danger, hurt, or when he heart was desperately trying to reach out to him. He could feel her, more than anything else. Yet, Sora knew deep down that something was wrong with Kairi. He knew something was going on, but didn't know exactly what, and even felt useless not being able to be the one to jump in and get her out of trouble. Whatever was happening, Kairi would have to fight this battle on her own, and Sora knew that, as much as he hated not being there to help her, just as she had multiple times before.

Sora heaved a concerning sigh before finally standing up and shaking his soaked clothes and hair that managed to always spike immediately even when wet. Even with Chirithy confirming that he would disappear from the real world due to the amount of times he had abused the Power of Waking to save Riku, Kairi, and the rest of his friends from certain death, Sora was never one to quit, and wanted to at least _try _and figure out a way to get back.

During his previous visit to The Final World, Sora had recalled encountering multiple people who had lost their existence and became stars. Unfortunately, the entire time he was here, Sora hadn't seen _anyone_. That would change as he started on his next trek. All he could do was choose a direction and begin travelling forward, hoping to see anyone or even anything. As luck would have it, one of those stars descended from high and down to his eye level.

"Hello again." The star greeted him.

"Oh! Hey! I remember you!" Sora jogged closer to her. "You were that person I met the last time I was here!" He chuckled as he held a hand underneath his chin. "Gosh, I feel like that was so long ago."

"That's because it was."

"Oh, really? You wouldn't happen to know how long I've been here, would you?" Sora asked while scratching the back of his head.

"I cannot be certain how long _you've _been here." She answered. "However, a year has passed since our last meeting."

Sora gasped, taking a couple steps back. "A whole year?" He sighed before taking a seat next to the star. "No wonder it's felt like forever. Then again, when you're here all by yourself with no friends to talk to, time feels like a drag."

"I understand. You still retained your form, at least."

"Yeah. I guess I'm the only one who did, except for..oh!" Sora's eyes lit up, remembering the encounter he also had about a year prior. "I found that friend of yours, Yozora, but...he…"

"I know. He isn't here."

Sora sighed, holding his head low. "I'm sorry. I was hoping that maybe I could bring him to you, and then he could finally save you."

"I appreciate that. But, I've learned to accept that as long as he retained the heart of another, he would never be the same. I'm sure he wouldn't even remember me." The star said in a sad tone.

"Don't say that! Everybody's got that one person in their heart, that no matter how bad things may seem, they'll never forget them. It's like a light deep down that never goes out." Sora said confidently.

"You seem to be an expert on that. You have someone special in your heart?"

Sora laughed, nodding and forming the widest smile. "Yeah. She's on her way to come get me. I can feel it. I've been able to feel it this whole time. I think that's why I can retain my form still. She was the one who kept me from fading away the last time I was here, and I think she's keeping me together. It's like an eternal warmth right in here." He said while resting a hand on his chest. "Soon enough, we'll finally be together." He said as his voice trailed off.

"You don't sound very confident." The star noted.

"Huh?"

"You sound unsure of what lies before you."

"Well…" Sora said as he held out a hand to show the star. "I'm starting to worry because I'm starting to fade in and out." He brought his hand back and stared up into the stars. "I don't want to think the worst, but I'm starting to worry about Kairi. I'm not sure what's going on. I'm worried that maybe our connection is weakening, but I'm not sure how that's possible. Maybe...she's really hurt?"

"Maybe, but if she believed enough to keep you together, then you believing in her will help her find you." The star suggested.

"I do believe in her. I always have." Sora said with a heavy sigh. "I...never admitted it because...I was never really good at expressing what I felt around her. That and...I was always afraid of her getting hurt." He curled his hand into a fist and looked down into the water. "But, things have to change. _I _have to change. I took her for granted...for so long." He softly choked up, shaking his head. "But not anymore."

"I'm sure if she was here, she'd be proud to hear you say that." The star said in an affectionate tone. "You can tell her that when she comes for you."

Sora smiled and tilted his head. "Thanks...uh...hey, since...whoever did this to you took your name, how about I give you a new name? You know, so that way if I see you again, I know what to call you."

"Oh, okay, sure. Go for it."

"Alright...uh…" Sora thought for a moment. He was terrible at coming up with names. He could barely pick a name for the raft back on the island, and now he was naming a _person_. "Hmmm...okay, I think I got it! How about I call you...Stella?"

"Stella?"

"Yeah, it means 'star'. Do you like it? If you don't, I can choose something else!"

"No, I like it." Stella laughed softly. "It's...kinda fitting."

"Sure is!" Sora laughed along ith her. "Well, I'm glad I got to see you again...Stella. And...I'm sorry again about Yozora."

"It's okay. This place kinda feels like home to me now." Stella sighed. "Maybe that's what my fate was meant to be, to be a shining star for those who feel lost and alone here."

"Well, don't be a stranger as long as I'm here. You can always talk to me!"

"Thank you...uh…"

"Sora!"

"Sora…" Stella breathed out. "Thank you, Sora."

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

Back in Radiant Garden, Riku, Ven, and Mickey all managed to dig up as much research as they possibly could thanks Xehanort's secret reports that were hidden in the library. There was a lot more information than even Mickey would've been able to comprehend. The three of them knew that if there was anyone who was a master of research, it was Ansem, along with Ienzo and Even, especially since they had all worked with Xehanort and Xemnas respectively. There was a possibility they would know a thing or two about the research they found.

"Wait, so what exactly did you find?" Ienzo asked, scratching his head.

Riku held out the report for him to see. "Xehanort mentions here that someone he refers to as 'the master' noted that the punishment for using the Power of Waking carelessly will result in serious consequences for the Keyblade wielder."

"That's true, but we knew that already. Did you find out anything else?" Even asked as he folded his arms.

"We sure did!" Mickey nodded. "Xehanort also wrote in his report that 'any wielder guilty of misuse of the Power of Waking will be subjected to banishment from the wordline that said wielder remained in at that time'. In other words, what happened to Sora is exactly what Xehanort wrote down!"

Ven nodded as he curled his hand into a fist. "It's no wonder we haven't been able to find Sora. He's completely vanished from our world."

"You know what this means, fellas? This is no ordinary search mission anymore. Now, we really have to think about how we're going to go about bringing back Sora, especially after reading the next part." Mickey said in a firm tone.

Ienzo tilted his head in confusion. "Next part? There's more?"

"Yeah." Riku looked over the report. "It says here that the master 'slipped out' that if a banished wielder has a strong enough desire to return to their original worldline as reflected in their heart, then they must survive in the world beyond the abyss, a world between sleep and death, by completing the trials set upon them for seven days. Failure to complete these trials will result in 'erasure' from existence."

"So, what you're saying is that Sora is in a whole other worldline playing some silly game?" Even tried to piece everything together.

"It just might be possible. But this is no ordinary game. He's trying to get back to _us_." Mickey pointed out. He lowered his head as he folded his arms. "I just hope he's still okay. We've been searching for him for a long time now."

Ven's eyes fixated on his melancholic friends as their doubt began to overtake their confidence, much like it had for the entire year. He knew that at times, it seemed impossible, but he also knew that anything was possible if Sora was able to find and save Aqua from the Realm of Darkness and then free his heart with her guidance after waiting for ten years. Ven wasn't about to give up on Sora, and his heart knew that. He could feel Sora's presence, much like he had during his slumber.

"He's okay…" Ven said softly as he placed a hand over his chest. "I can feel it. He's alright, and he's gonna be alright."

Riku nodded. "Yeah. As reckless as he can be, Sora's usually good at weaseling his way out these types of situations."

"But Riku, you forget that Sora doesn't have the Power of Waking anymore." Mickey noted. "Even if he is able to overcome the trials of this game, is he still gonna need it to get home?"

"I'm not sure. The report doesn't say that. Something tells me that the master didn't tell Xehanort everything about this for a reason. Maybe there might be something more to this world than just a simple game of trials."

"Riku, can I see that report? I'm gonna scan this in Ansem's computer and see if I can data mine this world you're speaking of." Ienzo asked as he held out his hand.

"Data mine?" Ven asked while tilting his head.

"Data mining is a process that allows us to dig deeper than what we're physically given and discover all new information. We might be able to learn more about this world if this process works like I hope it does."

Ienzo was handed the report and he immediately got to work. Riku watched intently as he and Even efficiently scanned all of the pages of the report that shared information about this world.

"Whoa! There's a lot on here!" Ienzo gasped.

Even leaned over and studied the information. "Looks like the master _didn't _share everything with Xehanort."

Riku stepped forward and looked down onto the screen. "That's the place! That's the place that kept popping up in my dreams! The one where someone was constantly watching me!" He gasped. "What does it say about this world?"

"This world goes by the name Shibuya, a world in the dark abyss between the realms of sleep and death. Those who have lost the ability to exist in their current worldline or time and have a strong enough will in their heart to return, will have a chance to complete a series of trials that take place over the course of seven days within this world. Should this be accomplished, the individual will be sent back to their present time, to their original hometown. However, should they fail, the individual's lux is drained and they are doomed to fade into oblivion...for good, with no way back." Ienzo read off.

"So, if Sora is really doing this, he could end up in _real _trouble!" Ven gasped.

Riku brushed past Ienzo and began jabbing at the keyboard. "Where's Sora?" He growled in frustration.

"Whoa! Easy on the computer!" Even raised his arm up.

"The computer is fine, it just needs to do its job." Riku remarked as he sighed heavily. "Which this doesn't seem to be doing!" He began pounding against the keyboard while gritting his teeth. "Just tell me where my friend is you stupid piece of junk!"

"Riku." Mickey stepped forward and gripped him by the arm, hoping it would get him to calm down.

"Sorry...I'm just getting frustrated now. We've been at this for a year and now that we're close, I just want this whole mess to be over with."

"Uh...don't forget, we have Luxu to worry about now, especially if he keeps going after Kairi." Ven pointed out.

Riku shook his head. "We'll worry about Luxu later. If Xehanort and the organization has taught us anything, it's that there is always a bigger fish. If we can get Sora back home, we can worry about Luxu later if he continues to be a problem."

Ienzo finished sipping his bottled drink before tossing it into the waste basket. Due to the basket being completely full and overflowing to some extent, the bottle bounced from the top and rolled onto the ground until it brushed up against the feet of a particular robot. Wall-E sighed before opening his compactor and scooped the bottle inside. He waved to Riku, Mickey, and Ven while his little cockroach friend crawled out, nearly disgusting the three of them. Wall-E managed to shoo away the roach, leaving him to do his duty of taking the waste basket and dumping the garbage into his compactor.

"Oh, thank you Wall-E! I hardly noticed our trash cans in here filling up!" Ienzo laughed sheepishly.

"WALL-E!" The robot chirped happily. He gasped as he saw Eve floating in the computer lab. "EVA!"

Eve simply giggled before floating past him, leaving the lovesick robot sighing. "Daily mission complete." She reported to Ienzo.

"Thank you, Eve. Have yourself a good rest." Ienzo said while looking in the direction of her containment capsule.

Eve nodded before floating over and landing in her capsule. "Rest mode, engage."

As Ienzo typed away at his computer, Riku thought back to his dream of Shibuya. He never found Sora, but there had to be a reason why he would dream up of such a place that he had never been to once before. His mind wandered back to when he took his Mark of Mastery exam. Riku remembered having to dive into Sora's dreams to protect his heart from falling to the darkness. If Sora was truly in this world, it was only leaving Riku with only one option to save him. It was risky, but it ha to be done.

"Mickey, Ven, I have to go." Riku said in a low and serious tone.

"Go?" They both asked.

"I have to go to Shibuya and see for myself if Sora is there if the computer won't tell us."

Even gasped, his eyes wider than grapefruits. "Are you serious? Did you not hear the severity of entering this world?"

"No, I heard." Riku said as he turned away from his friends. "It's risky, but Sora's done the same for me and he'd do it again. Whatever's gonna bring Sora back, I'll do what I can."

"Riku, just how do you plan to get to this world?" Ven asked.

"Well, based on what we _do _know, is that this world is between the realms of sleep and death. I was able to dive into mine and Sora's dreams once before. If this world is appearing in my dreams, then diving back into my own dreams should give me a chance to enter this world without any problem." Riku hypothesized.

"Riku, wait!" Ienzo stopped him for a moment. "There's an interesting tidbit of information that we nearly forgot. It says here, 'With each attempt at these trials, there is a form of payment. The individual must pay with what they value most. Only by completing these trials will this payment be returned."

"I should've known. Nothing in the world is free." Even scoffed.

Mickey frowned and tapped his foot. "But this could be a game changer now. It says the payment must be something valuable to the player. We're not dealing with just a monetary form of payment. Whoever is in charge of this game, wants something very important."

"Well, the report said something about draining lux from the player if they fail the trials." Riku said as he rested a hand under his chin. "But...what do they mean by 'lux'? I've never even heard of that word before."

"Light…"

Everyone looked to Ven after he muttered the word. He definitely knew the meaning behind. Something kept that word engraved in his mind. Ven had definitely heard it from others, but not from Terra, Aqua, Riku, or even Mickey. The voices of these individuals were familiar as they echoed through his mind murmuring 'lux' repeatedly. They sounded like the voices that haunted him in the Realm of Darkness, only making him more curious as to why it was continuing now that they were back in the Realm of Light. Was it possible that these individuals were somehow connected what Xehanort had written about in the reports? It was too much to think about and would be something he'd have to ask Chirithy about later.

"I've heard that before…" Ven said softly. "Lux, it means light. Whatever price this person has to pay, it has to be linked with _their _light."

Riku gasped softly before clenching his jaw and curling a hand into a fist. "No way…" He whispered.

"What, Riku?" Mickey asked.

"Nothing. I have to confirm my suspicions before I say anything else." Riku whirled around until he was looking at Even and Ienzo. "Do you two have a pod that I can sleep in? I'm going into the Realm of Sleep. I'm gonna go into Shibuya, find Sora, and bring him back to the real world. My mind is made up.

"You can't seriously think you can just waltz right into this Shibuya world without any sort of payment, do you?" Even asked while folding his arms.

"Not by natural means." He answered while folding his arms. "But, I know somebody in the Realm of Sleep that might know about this world and how to reach it. If push comes to shove, I have the Power of Waking to get me there and back."

"Riku, be careful about using the Power of Waking. Only use it in a dire emergency." Mickey warned him. "You don't want to end up like Sora, do you?"

"I'm not gonna end up like Sora. I'll be fine. As long as I can find a way to this world without using it, I should be able to get back, no problem." Riku explained.

Ven folded his arms and nodded. "It's risky, but if it gets Sora back, give it all you got."

With the supervision of Ienzo and Even, Riku was able to secure a pod in the back room where he could sleep peacefully during his journey in the Realm of Sleep. Ienzo couldn't help but feel concerned with him having no way to contact Riku once he was out of the real world. Yet, he know that right now, Riku was the only one who could dive into the Realm of Sleep, thus being the only one to save Sora right now. He opened the pod and allowed Riku to climb in with Mickey also watching over him like a father looking out for his son.

"Safe travels, Riku." Mickey wished him the best.

Riku smiled and nodded. "Thanks. Look after Kairi and Namine for me, okay?"

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

With the pod closed and a mix of sleeping gas and oxygen circulating throughout, Riku had instantly drifted to REM sleep, and was able to dive into the Realm of Sleep. It was almost like a second nature, having done this once before. Riku found himself in what could only be described as a realm of cosmic proportions as he crossed the lanes between the real world and the Realm of Sleep. The fact that he was now used to travelling to various worlds on his Keyblade glider made the journey even easier.

The place that Riku had ended up in felt almost like a warm welcome from an old friend. It was a world that he had visited numerous times before in the past whether it was the real world, a version from his memories, or a world that now slept and was nothing but a dream of those who had lost their homes once before. Riku stopped and inhaled the familiar scents in the air. He sighed at the firewood that burned from the nearby houses, the herbal scent of the foliage that perched right beside him, and the fresh bread and that baked from the nearby store. Even if it wasn't home, he knew this place was a home-away-from-home for Sora after their island had disappeared

"Traverse Town...why am I not surprised?" Riku chuckled.

A bright light formed in the sky before slowly floating its way down to Riku's eye level. His eyebrows furrowed as his memory was a little fuzzy for what as occurring before his eyes. Within a flash, a fuzzy creature that was resembled a bat, but beared a very warm color palette, appeared to be levitating in the air. It shook its head and flapped its wings aggressively trying to get a hold of its balance. Judging by the clumsy flying, it was apparent that this creature, a Komory Bat, hadn't been called upon for quite some time and needed to warm up. Needless to say, it was beyond thrilled to see Riku and started squeaking while flapping right into his arms.

"Hey, good to see you again, buddy." Riku said while holding Komory Bat. "Surprised to see me here?" He asked, the bat flapping its wings and nodded while squeaking. "Well, you remember that friend of mine we had to save a while back? He's in trouble again. This time, the situation is much worse." Komory Bat sighed while its smile faded. "But, he's not the type to quit when times get tough, so I'm sure he just needs an extra boost. Think you can help me out?"

Komory Bat nodded before perching on Riku's shoulder, ready to aid its friend just like old times. Speaking of old times, Riku had remembered how to traverse between the different sleeping worlds, but had never heard of a world like Shibuya. He didn't even think any world could exist beyond the ones he had visited in both the Realm of Sleep and the Realm of Darkness. Yet, here he was, searching for a way to travel beyond the Realm of Sleep. Unfortunately, this wasn't as simple as searching for a portal.

Where to even begin? Riku had begun retracing his steps from his previous visit to Traverse Town, beginning with the first district. Komory Bat had reminded him of his ability to get around the town quicker with the ability to use flowmotion. Taking advantage of how much quicker it was than walking, Riku began bouncing off of walls, zipping through the street corners, not coming across another living soul. The same could be said for the rest of the districts, even the fountain and third districts, where he distinctly remembered meeting Rhyme, Beat, and Joshua the last time. Then again, surely they had all returned to their real world by now.

"Maybe I was wrong. Maybe there isn't any way to reach Shibuya without the Power of Waking. Or in Sora's case...abusing it." Riku murmured as he sat on the steps in front of the accessory shop. Komory Bat perched on his shoulder, sighing and empathizing with him. "This probably doesn't make any sense to you, does it?"

"Wow, look who turned up again."

The sudden presence of another person in this dream world snapped Riku out of his lost state and had him jumping from his seated position. He anxiously scanned the area until he remembered who the familiar voice belonged to and how he met this person the first time. Riku turned and looked to the top of the accessory shop and much to his relief, it was the person he was hoping to see again, even if it had been some time. This young man even stayed perched in his rather relaxed pose with what could only be a trademark snicker spread across his face.

"Joshua!" Riku called out his name.

Joshua hopped down from the top of the building. "Surprised to see me?" He asked with a smirk.

"N-No! Actually, I was hoping to run into you again. That's why I came here."

"New look, I see." Joshua chuckled while running a hand through his hair. "Not bad. But, not gonna lie, I liked your original haircut better."

"Uh...thanks…" Riku awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. "Anyway, I've got more important issues than my hair. You remember my friend, Sora?"

"Sora's in trouble and you're trying to save him, right?"

"How did you…?"

Joshua laughed. "You seem to have forgotten, I know a thing or two about dreams. Considering you're a dream eater, I'm surprised you forgot about this."

"Well, I'd hardly call myself a dream eater. I dove into Sora's dreams once." Riku said while folding his arms. "Even so, I could barely protect him."

"That's hardly besides the point. The point is...you've dreamed up this place that Sora's in and you're trying to get there, right?"

"It's a place called Shibuya. I'm not sure if Sora's there or not, but if I know him as well as I do, then he's most likely there, trying to get back to our world." Riku explained.

"Oh, I know about Shibuya. Come with me. Let's chat." Joshua said as he began walking up the steps further into the first district. "Ever thought about the possibility that yours and Sora's dreams are connected?"

Riku shook his head. "Not really."

"By diving into Sora's dreams, you forged a new connection between you two." Joshua began explaining. "Through this connection, it is possible for you two to communicate and connect through each other's dreams. Dreams are powerful that way. They can span across multiple hearts, and even worldlines."

Riku stopped in his tracks. Part of him felt like there was no way that his and Sora's dreams were connected. Yet, he had no reason to not believe Joshua. He hadn't proved him wrong and had managed to help others in the past. Riku had also witnessed himself that having a strong enough connection with another person was much more than he even anticipated. Kairi's resurrection was enough proof. What reason did Riku have to not believe that maybe he and Sora shared a connection that was on par with the connection Kairi had with him, albeit in a different way. He had always felt like a big brother to Sora, so it wasn't impossible.

"Now that you mention it, it's kind of like what the paopu fruit did to Sora and Kairi's hearts." Riku wondered out loud. "Maybe, those dreams we were both having, maybe it was Sora calling out to us. Maybe he was using my dreams to allude me to his location, but if that was the case...what was he trying to tell Kairi?"

"Kairi, the other one that Sora has the strongest connection to." Joshua murmured. "I've never met her, so I couldn't tell you why. But, should she decide to swing by, maybe I can find some answers."

"She can't come here. She doesn't know the Power of Waking. Coming here without it is too risky." Riku shook his head, immediately shutting down the idea.

Joshua chuckled. "Not very faithful, I see."

"What are you talking about?"

"For the amount of faith Kairi has in you, you surely don't return it nearly as much to her."

Riku frowned as he began walking again. "I have plenty of faith in Kairi, and this is personal business."

"Personal, I gotcha. Personal enough that it lingers in your heart, which is connected to your dreams?" Joshua rolled his eyes. Riku stopped in his tracks, avoiding eye contact with him. "I've noticed something, Riku. You have a desire to protect those that matter. Sora, being one of these people. Yet, how is it that you are willing to let Sora throw himself into some of the most dangerous situations, but with Kairi, you choose to keep her locked up."

"I do not keep her locked up." Riku argued defensively.

"Whoa, no need to get so defensive about it."

Riku shook his head. "Sorry...I just...I don't want to talk about it. Let's just keep moving."

"You don't want to talk about it or are you scared of the truth?" Joshua pointed out.

"The truth?"

"About your feelings."

"What about my feelings?" Riku arched an eyebrow.

Joshua sighed, shaking his head. "Come on, Riku. You can't be _this _slow, can you? I thought you were the smart one. You did have quite a fondness for Kairi, didn't you?"

"Well...yeah. But that was a long time ago. I kinda got the picture that Sora and Kairi are each other's most precious person, so I did what was the best for both of them."

"Did you? Or did your mind lie to you?" Joshua snickered. "Our minds have a way of tricking us, which in turn, tricks our hearts. How do you think so many fall to the darkness? But, looking directly into our hearts, they don't lie."

Of all the complicated aspects of Riku's growing young adult years, it was the one he never once thought about. His heart had always been true to him, no matter what it had been through, but how much of those thoughts and emotions were manipulated by his mind? The mind and heart had a way of working hand in hand with each other, but like light and darkness, one was always more aggressive. Riku tried to take this into consideration, but only found himself getting a headache the more he tried to analyze it.

"That blonde-haired girl who's been with you a number of times. Namine is her name, right?" Joshua asked.

"Yeah, what about Namine?"

"Is it possible that Namine only fills the hole that Kairi left in your heart?" Joshua chuckled. "Besides, the girls do bear an uncanny resemblance to one another."

Riku growled. "That's not true at all! Why are you even asking me this? I came to ask you one thing, and that's to help me figure out a way to Shibuya."

"Can't help it. Your dreams have been really messy lately. Just doing a little cleanup, that's all." He shrugged. "You can bury this all you want, but hiding from the truth will only make a lie grow and grow until it becomes unbearable. Soon enough, that darkness will follow you until you can accept it. Only by accepting it, will your heart heal."

"Just...forget it." Riku shook his head. "Can you show me how to get to Shibuya from here?"

"I already told you how to find Shibuya." Joshua shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay. I asked for directions, not a riddle."

"It's not a riddle. When we had our conversation, what did we do?"

Riku folded his arms, furrowing his eyebrows. "Invade my personal thoughts and emotions?"

Joshua chuckled. "True, true, but _how_ did we get to that point? There's your answer."

Considering Joshua's tendency draw circles as opposed to get straight to the point when it came to answering his questions, Riku should've expected Joshua to challenge him to think outside the box. He was never one to let off _anyone _easy, no matter how good of a friend they were. Riku stopped once again an leaned against the wall, trying to figure out the answer to Joshua's riddle. It also didn't help that Joshua was taunting him about how simple the answer was, as long as he knew how to look into his own heart. Riku looking into his own heart, why would he...hang on, he thought.

"My heart. Diving into my heart. Thoughts and emotions are connected to the heart…" Riku murmured. "Diving into the heart...wait!" He gasped. "If your enemy has tough exterior, you attack them from inside, and the weakest point is always the heart. The heart!" He turned to Komory Bat, who looked up at him with a confused expression. "If I can't get into Shibuya normally without doing any harm, I have to infiltrate the world from inside of it. That's how the Heartless are able to enter the various worlds even with the gates closed. They enter in from the heart of the world. If I can find the heart to this world, I can use it as a gateway to Shibuya and enter through the heart of that world. That's what Joshua was talking about. It's like how he used Rhyme's dreams to hop between mine and Sora's copies of Twilight Town."

Komory Bat began to squeak as it floated up and down. Joshua had suddenly disappeared at that point, leaving Riku and Komory Bat to figure out how to open the heart of Traverse Town on their own.

"Now, if I can just remember where the heart of this world is located…"

Riku moved on into the second district, having a feeling in his gut that the area most associated with the central nervous system of this world would be the place to look. First, he thought to look for a door, as that where a good number of keyholes would be located. The only issue was that each door that led to a house, hotel, or shop all acted like normal doors, and didn't require a Keyblade to unlock. Maybe he should try moving into another district? Maybe had to dig a little deeper.

It wasn't until a familiar face appeared in front of Riku that he finally had some sort of clue. The little Dream Eater that represented a cross between a cat and a dog, a Meow Wow, bounced in place, squeaking. Komory Bat flew closer to it and started squeaking back, almost as if it was explaining Riku's current situation to the Meow Wow. Graciously, the little canine-feline jerked its body over toward the fountain in the central square of the second district and before their very eyes, a faint spirit of Sora stood in front of the fountain. Riku watched carefully as Sora aimed his Keyblade at the keyhole that had appeared in the fountain before shooting a beam of light into it.

"Sora _did _find this world's keyhole somehow, and he sealed it. It's in this district, but...how would I find it though?"

As if his own dream answered his own question, the ground started to shake briefly before the sound of a bell echoed in the distance. Riku knew that sound and remembered it vividly from one of his first visits to Traverse Town back during his search for Sora and Kairi. It was the bell that came from the gizmo shop. He looked down at Meow Wow, who had begun bouncing toward the shop with Komory Bat not far behind. Taking in the assumption that the two critters wanted him to follow them, Riku followed suit, but took it with a grain of salt. These were Dream Eaters, but then again, they knew his and Sora's dreams better than ever they knew. If dreams were connected to memories, surely Meow Wow would know how Sora found the keyhole and could show Riku as well.

The gizmo shop proved to be more akin to that of the inside of a clock tower with its numerous gears all in motion and Riku couldn't even understand the point of it. Instead, he followed through the back door that led to what appeared to be a secret balcony, but judging by how big the back doors were, it didn't seem that secretive. In fact, the way up to the bell was straightforward, having to only climb a ladder until he came to tower that blocked off by a wooden board. It burned down with an easy Fire spell and allowed Riku access to the bell that had rung not long before Meow Wow and Komory Bat all bounced and squeaked by the rope that was used to ring the bell.

Was it as simple as ringing a bell? Riku firmly grasped the rope and pulled on it once. The bell rang and the facade on the fountain rotated, but that was it. There was no keyhole. Meow Wow bounced again, wanting him to ring it again, so Riku tried again. The fountain did the same thing. It rotated, but no keyhole. Riku groaned and shook his head, feeling stupid for doing this, but against his annoyance, decided to do it a third time. As the old saying went, the third time was the charm, and the fountain rotated once more, revealing the keyhole to Traverse Town. It was perfectly sealed, but that would all change once Riku hurred back down.

"Let's do this." Riku said as he summoned Braveheart.

With a firm grip on his Keyblade, Riku aimed a beam of light right toward the keyhole, just as he had once before. Upon the beam coming into contact with it, light began to shine from beyond the keyhole and he anxiously waited an unlocking sound that would indicate that he had done what he was supposed to and his route to Shibuya was open. It didn't take long for the keyhole to finish unlocking, and even when he was finished, the keyhole remained, giving Riku access to cross through.

"Alright, this is it." Riku said as he proceeded further toward the keyhole. Komory Bat perched onto his shoulder and began squeaking in a concerned tone. "Sorry, my friend. I need you to stay here. This is where I go alone." He looked intensely into the keyhole, a tight grip on Braveheart. My friend is there, waiting for me to bring him home."

Komory Bat and Meow Wow both nodded as they watched Riku exhale heavily with anticipation. Whatever lied beyond this point, he didn't know. All he could do, was hope that he could find Sora and bring him home. All Riku could do, was believe.

* * *

**A/N: I know that chapter was dialogue-heavy! Had to be done though. Next chapter, we're jumping back into the Disney worlds!**


	46. The Secret of the Scroll

**A/N: Sorry for not giving a hint for this next Disney world in the last chapter! I was kinda ready to end the chapter and didn't really have anything for the girls since their scene was already earlier. Anywho, enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 46: The Secret of the Scroll

When it came to flying to their next destination, Kairi had no problems piercing through the stratosphere and entering into the world. It felt nice to not have to worry about too many Heartless ships attacking them save for a few smaller ones on the way in. Also judging by the smooth flight through the stratosphere, the girls had a good feeling that the weather was absolutely perfect in this world. Kairi put the ship into park upon finding themselves in the perfectly blue sky with some white fluffy clouds that surrounded them. Each of the girls were eager to find out where their radar took them and hurried to the transporter.

Upon a safe landing, Kairi smiled widely and immediately ran forward. She recognized this place. The large field, the towering trees, the chirping blue birds, and various types of flowers, including dandelions, all made her feel like she was reuniting with an old friend. Kairi even found herself rolling down a grassy hill into a bed of dandelions, something she hadn't done since she was just a little girl. Namine and Xion could only laughed as they chased their friend down the hill, who landed on her back right at the bottom, staring up into the perfectly blue sky that was accompanied by a strong springtime sun.

Xion looked over Kairi with an amused grin on her face. "You sure are excited for something as simple as a pretty field."

"It's because I know this place!" Kairi laughed as she stood up.

"You do? When did you visit here last?" Xion asked.

"When Axel and I were training with Merlin! He sent us here for our first field test! This is the Kingdom of Corona!"

Namine browsed the area before nodded. "Yeah, I recognize it too! It's beautiful!"

"Wait, you were sent here for a field test?" Xion asked, scratching her head.

Kairi nodded as she knelt down, feeling the soft and bristling grass against her legs. "There was a particular Heartless we had to defeat as well as take out any that got in our way. We...kinda got sidetracked during the mission though. There was this guy we ran into, and he was on the run."

"Didn't he steal something?" Namine asked.

"Yep. He stole the crown that belonged to the kingdom's lost princess. Last we saw him, he was being chased by one of the kingdom's horses. I hope they got him." She said while folding her arms and furrowing her eyebrows.

Xion arched her eyebrows before tapping on Namine's shoulder. "Wait, how do _you _know everything that happened?"

Namine chuckled while tugging on her ponytail. "Living in someone else's hearts _does _have its advantages sometimes."

"Uh...Kairi? Namine?" Xion murmured after turning and looking in opposite direction, her eyes widening at the sight she was not expecting to see. "You might wanna think twice about what you just said."

"Wait, why?" Kairi asked.

Xion took hold of Kairi's head and turned it the other, prompting a gasp from the unexpecting redhead. She hopped up from the ground and took a moment to grasp

"Oh...this wasn't how Axel and I left it…" Kairi shook her head.

Namine bit down on her lip as she tugged on her ponytail. "Yeah, this looks bad."

Kairi sighed as she approached one of the rocks. "I wonder what could've happened." She reached out to try and touch one only to zap herself when she got close enough. "Don't touch them, they're...electric...somehow."

"Hmm…" Xion looked over and saw a swarm of Heartless wrecking havoc not far from them. "Maybe we should ask _them_." She suggested.

"Heartless!"

Kairi growled as the rock beside her glowed and multiple black rocks suddenly erected from the ground, nearly stabbing the girls. Following the rocks, numerous Shadow and Bizarre Archer Heartless materialized right beside them. Even if they couldn't destroy the rocks, the girls knew they could at least get rid of the Heartless in the meantime. Kairi summoned her Keyblade and charged right in, as did Namine and Xion. Unlike a normal fight with the Heartless, Kairi had to be cautious, for the rocks seemed to react to her whenever she got too close to them. Instead, she relied on Xion and Namine to do the majority of the attacking while aiding them with her light barrier to protect them from attacks.

Xion was getting pelted by Bizarre Archers, leading Namine to start firing multiple Fira spells right back with Kairi also helping her by casting Pearl spells. While her friends were mostly using magic, Xion took advantage of the rocks and wall jumped back and forth to give herself some air. Now with gravity taking effect, she went crashing down, Keyblade first, and delivering a strong finishing blow that wiped out multiple Heartless at once. She couldn't help but chuckle about why it took her so long to try this out.

Unfortunately, a Neoshadow Heartless lunged at Kairi and knocked her straight back into one of the black rocks, which caused an electrical surge upon impact. It was painful to say the least, but Kairi was able to get back on her feet, especially with the help of Namine's Cura spell. She awaited for the Neoshadow to creep right toward her again with its buddies right behind it. Now having to adapt to a different playing field, Kairi used her light barrier and blocked the Heartless before shattering the barrier with her Starcracker counter attack, the various pieces damaging the Heartless and wiping them out.

"What kind of rocks are those?" Namine asked as she dismissed her Keyblade. "Especially since they hurt Kairi, but don't hurt you and me, Xion."

"Well, the Heartless definitely have something to do with it." Xion muttered.

"Yeah, but it also means we have a bigger fish to fry too." Kairi said with a sigh. "We'd better head into town and ask around if anyone's noticed anything strange."

Namine nodded. "Good idea." She began to follow her friends before a thought bounced through her mind. "Kairi, any chance our ship could land us in civilization next time?"

"Sorry, Namine. I don't control where the transporter sends us too."

If there was one thing Kairi regretted about her previous visit to Corona, it was not remembering how to get to the town and castle. Theoretically, she should've been able to see the town and follow towards it, but between the rocks and the tall foliage that created the forest, it was a complete gamble, similar to Arendelle. At least with Corona, there was more variety between the various plants and bodies of water that had to be crossed. Kairi actually _did _remember a rather big cave from last time and cheered when they passed it. It was also a relief that the further they pressed on, the less black rocks there were meaning they were stagnant or they were moving on very slowly.

Everything seemed to be working out until the girls came to a fork in the road. It wasn't so much the actual fork that was the problem. Kairi sighed as she looked down at the one useful sign that would have pointed them in the direction to Corona, but thanks to a year's worth of animals using it as a scratching post and rainy weather washing it out, the sign was nothing more than a useless piece of wood.

"Uh...which way is which?" Namine asked as they stopped at the fork.

Xion placed her hands on her hips, her head darting between the two paths. "Good question. Kairi? You've been here before, where do we go from here?"

"I have, but...last time I was here, there was a sign that directed us to Corona. That was a year ago, I'm not gonna remember something like that, not with everything else going on." Kairi sighed as she picked up the damaged sign.

"Why don't we just use your seashell tracker?" Xion asked.

"For all I know, the piece may not even be in Corona. Although…" Kairi whipped out her phone and pulled up her tracker app. "Hey, it's actually close by! If we're lucky the shell will be either in a town or a place that's populated, so let's...go this way!"

Of course the Snuggly Duckling was through the path that led them to the darker woods. Xion and Namine weren't totally for it, but Kairi's stubbornness as well as her shell tracker spoke for all of them. At this point, they only had that to work off of. Unfortunately, the woods were infested with Heartless, but it was nothing that a few swings and spells from a Keyblade couldn't handle. The lack of black rocks made it easier for Kairi to jump right back into battle like normal.

Luckily, the Snuggly Duckling was located in a small meadow that received quite a bit of light. Namine noticed the light down their path and signaled the other two to follow her. It wouldn't be long until they found the quaint building that had a purple roof atop. It even had a sign with the place's name with a duck. It was almost cute, and Kairi was thrilled to see her seashell tracker getting stronger the closer they got to the Snuggly Duckling. She knew it wouldn't be long until they found the next piece. Unbeknownst to them, there was a small monkey with a white turban that seemed to be watching them from afar. He especially had his attention on Kairi, but chose to keep his distance for now.

"Hmmm...Snuggly Duckling? What is this? An inn or something?" Namine asked as they progressed down the path.

Xion shrugged her shoulders. "In the middle of the forest?" She asked before her stomach started growling. "Hopefully they'll at least have something to eat."

"And some coffee? I _need_ a cup _really_ badly…" Chirithy sighed dramatically from Kairi's shoulder.

"Well, I guess stopping for lunch wouldn't hurt, especially when it says the shell is right here." Kairi said while eyeing her tracker.

Once arriving at the door, Kairi figured it was a public place and she could just open the door and walk right in. She never regretted that decision so fast. As the door opened completely, the girls were greeted with not one, not two, but around two dozen of the scariest looking humans they had ever seen. Most of them were huge, some of them were missing teeth, some of them were sharpening weapons or had weapons in place of body parts. Each of them eyed the trio with a deadly scowl, like a lioness just waiting to pounce her prey. Despite the 'warm' welcome, Kairi had to get her shell. She slowly crept in with her friends cowering behind her.

"Uh...hello!" Kairi nervously greeted in a projected voice.

"Kairi...these guys don't look really...friendly…" Namine whispered.

"You wanna try the 'female' charm idea?" Xion asked in a hushed tone.

"Oh yeah, like _that's _worked before."

Kairi shushed her friends behind her. "Hey, being scaredy cats has never helped us in the past either, so let's just...hey! That's my seashell!" She yelled, pointing out the large thug.

As it turned out, Kairi's seashell was not in the hand, but in the _mouth _of one of the thugs. It looked like it was stuck in there like a tooth. The thug who was called out, stood from his seat. Kairi could've sworn he was _double _her height and possibly triple her bodyweight. She swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat as the bald thug that sat next to him also approached her. The more Kairi stared at him, the more he reminded her of a classic cueball biker. He even had a comparable mustache to accompany his condescending demeanor. His scowl formed into a menacing smile, which didn't make her feel any better.

"Hiya toots, name's Hookhand" The thug with a hook on one of his hands huffed. "Ya like Vladimir's new tooth?"

"It matches the unicorns." Vladimir chuckled as he ran his tongue over the shell.

"Oh...that's just _disgusting…_" She shuddered. "Regardless, that _is _my shell, and I'd like it back."

"Alrighty, we'll give you back your shell." Hookhand said before slipping his hook through the back of Kairi's top and lifting her up. "That is, if you're willing to pay."

"Hey! Put me down! That's no way to treat a lady!" Kairi struggled in midair.

"Let her go, punk!" Xion growled.

"Don't you worry, poppet. We ain't gonna hurt her." Vladimir patted her on the head.

Xion gasped. "Poppet? ATTACK!"

Hookhand was ambushed by Xion leaping onto his back and began pounding on his head. Namine was too skittish to try and go up against a huge thug, so she just stuck to the side, hoping they wouldn't hurt Xion all that much. Once Kairi was finally free of Hookhand's hook, she leapt onto Vladimir's back with the hopes of bringing him down. If he wasn't going to give her shell back, she was going to take it back by force. However, despite their best efforts, Kairi and Xion couldn't get the men down considering they just weren't strong enough to take down tavern thugs that were at least double their size.

Luckily, their saving grace wasn't far.

"Guys! Long time no see!" A young man burst through the door with a young girl whose blonde hair stretched all the way down to her feet even though it was braided. Everyone froze in place for a moment before taking a 180 and giving warm welcomes to the new faces. "You know, it's quite funny running into-you!" He pointed out Kairi, a look of shock on his face.

"You!" Kairi gasped, pointing right back at him.

"Eh...you know this girl?" Hookhand asked.

The young man laughed awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. "Not...exactly."

Kairi summoned her Keyblade and jabbed it right in his direction. "I remember you! Give me on good reason why I shouldn't report you to the guards of this kingdom!"

"Wait, you know him?" Xion and Namine asked.

"Eugene...how do you know her?" The blonde asked, a look of confusion on her face.

"Wait...Eugene? I thought your name was _Flynn Rider_. You know, the _wanted _thief?" Kairi crept closer, the tip of her blade getting closer to Eugene. "The one who _stole _the crown that belonged to the _lost _princess?"

"Oh! Lost princess? That was me! Except, I'm no longer lost. I'm found and couldn't be happier! I'm Rapunzel, nice to meet you!"

Kairi, with her eyebrows furrowed, darted her eyes between Rapunzel and Eugene, her mouth hanging open. "How did you…? And you…?"

"It's a long story." Eugene said with a heavy sigh. "And, we don't have time to tell it. We're in _a bit_ of a hurry. Just swung by to grab some supplies."

"Oh Eugene, what's wrong with just a quick break? Besides, I like this girl. She's got spunk and knows how to handle herself!" Rapunzel said as she sat at one of the tables. "And look, she even has one of those giant keys just like Sora did."

"Wait...you know Sora?" Kairi gasped, sitting at the same table as her.

"It's...kind of a funny story of how we met, but he was one of Eugene's sidekicks that helped me return to my home in Corona. Donald and Goofy were the other two." Rapunzel chuckled as she tugged at a loose hair.

Xion smirked before laughing. "I'm sorry, but the idea of Sora being a sidekick is just _hilarious_."

"Well, that's how it went! How do you know him? Wait, is he..._your _dream?" Rapunzel asked with a sigh.

"Oh, he's in her dreams, alright." Namine teased with laughter. "_I _would know."

Kairi exhaled heavily with a harsh blush spread across her face. "Sora and I are...really close, in spirit, at least. I'm Kairi, this is Namine and Xion."

"I heard about what happened. Donald and Goofy visited here before we left Corona to see if there were any clues, but...unfortunately, there isn't. Well, at least in terms of Sora's location, that is. I'm not sure if you've noticed, but Corona's not exactly in the best shape that it has been." Rapunzel gently bit down on her lip before looking out the window.

"I did notice that. We were actually thinking about sticking around and looking into it, but first, I need to get my seashell back. I have this lucky charm made out of thalassa shells that I always gave to Sora whenever he went on a dangerous journey. It's a promise that he'll return safely. But, it was shattered into multiple pieces and we're collecting them, hoping that once the charm is complete again, it'll help us find Sora. We're only a few pieces short, but Vladimir has it...and he's using it as a tooth."

"Oh, does he now?" Eugene asked with a smirk. "Well, I guess I could help with that...as long as _you _apologize for abandoning me."

"Abandoning _you_? You were the one who abandoned us! We were trying to save your sorry butt by taking out the Heartless that started attacking and you just ran off on us!" Kairi yelled as she stood up and got in Eugene's face.

"I had a killer horse coming after me!"

"Because you stole from the royal family! Do you know the severity of that situation?"

Eugene snickered. "You were part of that scheme for a whole two hours too, remember?"

Rapunzel sighed as Kairi and Eugene continued to bicker as Pascal, her little green chameleon, crawled out from behind her neck and pointed at them with a glare. She rolled her eyes and nodded in agreement with what her little buddy was 'suggesting'. Rapunzel pulled out a flower and suddenly released the braid into hundreds of thousands of strands that were about seventy feet long. Xion and Namine's eyes widened as the hair travelled its way past them and all throughout the tavern. Now with her hair released, Rapunzel gripped it and began lassoing it like a rope before she wrapped it around the mouths of both Kairi and Eugene.

"Hair!" Kairi yelled, her voice muffled

"Okay, that's enough you two." Rapunzel said as she got between the two. "Eugene, please get Vladimir to give her seashell back."

"Why are you on _her _side?" Eugene asked in a defeated tone.

"Because, she is trying to find Sora with it, and he _is _our friend, isn't he?" The princess moved closer to him, sweetening her tone as she grabbed his arm. "Come on, Eugene, do it for me?"

Eugene sighed and rolled his eyes. He really didn't want to do this. It was blatantly obvious that he found Kairi annoying and she didn't trust him because of past experiences. Still, if there was one person Eugene would do anything for, it was Rapunzel. He walked over to Vladimir and held out his hand, prompting the thug to forfeit the shell. Despite being disappointed, Vladimir obliged and spit the shell into Eugene's hand before it was immediately tossed to Kairi. She was happy that she got her shell back, but wasn't happy with the fact that there was thug saliva all over it and pulled out a rag to clean it off.

"Raps? Eugene? What's the hold up in here?" A young woman with short black hair entered, obviously annoyed with how long she had been waiting outside. "The sooner we get going, the sooner we can finish assembling the scroll and make it to the Dark Kingdom."

"Dark Kingdom?" Kairi, Namine, and Xion all asked in unison.

"Uh...forget what I just said."

Rapunzel laughed while shrugging her shoulders. "Oh Cass, it's fine. They're new friends of ours."

"New friends of _yours_." Eugene mumbled while folding his arms.

"I don't know Raps, should we be open about this to strangers?" Cass shook her head.

Xion put her hands on her hips and tapped her foot. "Technically, we're not strangers anymore."

"Does the Dark Kingdom have something to do with those really sharp rocks?" Namine asked.

"Why would you need to go _there_?" Kairi asked. "It seems like a really dangerous place if the kingdom is linked to those rocks. I could barely touch them without there being some type of weird magical reaction to them."

"Wait, they reacted to _you _too." Cass asked, her eyes widening. "That, doesn't make any sense. There can only be one sundrop."

"Sundrop?" Xion asked. "What's this about a sundrop?"

Rapunzel and Cass shared a concerned look. Whoever this girl was, the two of them knew there was definitely something more to her than she was even sharing with them. The fact that Kairi also had experience with fighting the Heartless only fed their curiosity. Cass, being the sceptical one, was cautious that the girls had some connection to the black rocks. Rapunzel, being a little too trusting for her own good, had a completely different first impression. Between having a connection to Sora and also having a warm sense that there was something special to her, Kairi and her friends definitely came off as a group that the princess could rely on.

"Well, come with us on the camper and we'll tell you all about it!" Rapunzel said as she began guiding everyone out of the pub.

"What?" Eugene and Cass asked in unison.

"We can't just leave them here, not when we're talking about Sora's friends. Besides, if Kairi has a key just like him, she can help us deal with those monsters that keep following us!"

"Monsters?" Namine asked.

"Heartless?" Xion growled.

"Sounds like it." Kairi nodded. "If the Heartless are giving you a hard time, we'll stick around and help dispose of them." She giggled as she felt weight of a white horse's muzzle on top of her head, as if he were sniffing her head. "Oh, hey there big guy!" Kairi greeted him as she rubbed him on the side of his head.

"His name is Maximus. This one is Fidella." Cass mentioned as she patted her hand against the female brown horse next to Max. "They'll be pulling the camper for us."

"Lance is gonna be so excited to have new friends joining us!" Rapunzel squealed and bounced up and down. "Hop on in with him!" She opened the door to the camper.

"Ladies first…" Eugene said in annoyed tone while rolling his eyes.

Kairi shot a scowl before getting right in his face. "Look, I don't know what your intentions are, but just know this: I go to _high school_, and I know guys like you, so I'm onto you." She said in a hushed tone before hopping into the camper.

"There's a reason why I was never into redheads…" He mumbled under his breath.

Kairi, having heard Eugene's snarky comment, rolled her eyes and took her seat across from tall and bulky dark-skinned traveller, who introduced himself as Lance. Upon their first interactions, Lance found himself instantly getting along with the girls thanks to his laid back, but goofy personality. Xion couldn't help but be reminded of Axel whenever Lance spoke, and it brought back memories of sitting on the clock tower with him and Roxas just enjoying some friendly banter and some sea-salt ice cream. While she was ready to relax on the ride, Namine was ready to sketch the sights of Corona's landscapes, and Kairi was barely tolerating being in the same cramped space as Eugene.

"It's nice to not have to walk everywhere for once." Xion sighed as she stretched her legs out.

"Isn't that part of the adventure though? Getting to experience nature?" Namine asked as she took out her sketchbook and stared out the window, trying to sketch the environment.

"Eugene, I'm telling you, the blonde one there is like a little Rapunzel Jr, and I can't get over how adorable she is." Lance chuckled.

"Careful, they're not all adorable. One of them's got a _big _mouth on her." Eugene snickered while shooting a stink eye at Kairi.

"Are you for real? Look at them! I just wanna adopt all three of you!"

"Well, Kairi's already got a family, and I...technically do, but Namine's available!" Xion joked while patting her on the back.

"Oh, they're kidding, really!" Namine laughed sheepishly. "So, where are we off to?"

"Oh, we're off to _The Spire_!" Lance answered in a dramatic tone.

"Spire? What for?" Kairi asked, leaning forward.

"Well…" Eugene was about to explain before the camper suddenly shook violently. "What was that? Rapunzel!"

"Eugene!" Rapunzel yelled from outside.

Instinctively, Eugene shot up from his seat and jumped out of the camper to rush to Rapunzel's side. Kairi followed behind him with Namine and Xion. Just as they suspected, Rapunzel and Cass were surrounded by a swarm of Parasol Beauty, a Chief Puff, and Puffball Heartless.

"Heartless!" Kairi growled as she ducked in front of Rapunzel and summoned her Keyblade with Namine and Xion right beside her. "Eugene, get Rapunzel inside! You too, Cass!"

Cass snickered before drawing her own sword. "Not a chance. My duty is to protect the princess. Let me at 'em!"

"I'll fight too!" Rapunzel joined the other girls.

Kairi and the girls all arched their eyebrows and turned their heads at Rapunzel's determination. How did she plan on fighting? She didn't seem equipped with any useful weapons. They watched as the princess pulled a flower out of her braid and released it just like she had in the tavern. Once the hair was completely extended, Rapunzel gripped a hefty amount and held it as if it were like a whip, or any rope or chain based weapon. She shot a wink over to Kairi, who didn't have much of a choice, but nod in approval. Hair as a weapon, it was an outlandish idea, but if Rapunzel was confident enough that it could protect them, then who were they to judge?

One of the Parasol Beauties immediately began firing dark shots at the group, making Kairi jump right in front of the group to block the attack with a light barrier. Meanwhile, Namine got right to taking down the tower that had been created by the Chief Puff thanks to it balancing on top of a stack of Puffballs. She cast her Fira spells, which helped in bringing down the tower, despite the Chief Puff progressing toward her with a rapid spin attack that utilized its leaf arms. When it was close enough, Rapunzel used her hair to reel herself up into a tree before swinging, and knocking the tower over, and allowing Cass to hurry in and land some critical blows with her sword.

Kairi continued with blocking the arrow shots from the Parasol Beauties before countering them with Starcracker, and giving her the chance to land some hard hits on them. Xion also dashed across the field with Sonic Blade thanks to Rapunzel using her hair to draw a Parasol Beauty's parasol away from it and leaving it almost worthless. Almost in the sense that it still had a hard spin attack that it used to attack Xion, but thanks to a little Aerial Recovery and some better coordination in countering, she managed to hold her own against them.

This only left the remaining Puffballs, which Rapunzel knew exactly how to handle them. She wrapped Kairi, Namine, Xion, and even Cass, all up in her hair and began swinging them around, wiping out anymore Heartless that got in their way, including the one single Shadow Heartless that seemed to show up out of nowhere, almost as if that one Heartless was left behind by its own mob.

"I gotta say Rapunzel, that's quite a head of hair you've got." Namine chuckled upon seeing how easily the princess handled the Heartless.

"Oh, you have no idea." Cass said with a snicker.

"How do you get away with it growing so long anyway?" Xion asked as she was careful not to step on the hair.

"Well...that's where the sundrop side of the story comes in." Rapunzel answered while brushing hair behind her ear.

"You mind sharing it with us? We're gonna have to put your hair back up in a braid." Kairi suggested as she started picking up a bunch of hair.

Cass chuckled and shrugged her shoulders. "Might as well share with 'em, Raps."

Rapunzel took a seat on a boulder as Kairi, Namine, and Xion all got to working to get Rapunzel's braid wrapped back up. It was a timely process, but it seemed to go by quick, while listening to her story, and it was the least they could do after she helped them out so well in battle. The story she told, felt different. It seemed that each of the girls started to feel something the more they listened to Rapunzel's story. They listened to her speak of how her hair possessed the power of healing, and how she was kidnapped from her family, locked up in a tower for eighteen years, because of that power. It was a power that her captor insisted on keeping for herself, for as long as she had Rapunzel's power of healing, she remained young and beautiful.

"So...your hair is _magic_?" Kairi asked as she started putting flowers back on the braid.

Rapunzel nodded as she brushed her fingertips along her hand. "If I sing the Healing Incantation, it can either heal or it'll grant eternal youth. That's why...Mother Gothel...locked me up…" Her voice trailed off as Pascal curled up against her hand, sighing.

"Locked you up?" Namine asked with a soft gasp. "How long were you locked up for?"

"Eighteen years. She kidnapped me when I was just a baby. The whole time I was gone, my parents lit off these lanterns ever year on my birthday in the hopes that I'd finally return home."

Kairi nodded, her smile fading. "That's why you were the lost princess. That's so long to be away from someone you love…"

"It's because of those lanterns and Eugene that I finally had an opportunity to escape." Rapunzel said while shooting a smile toward him while he was feeding apples to the Maximus and Fidella. "I...kinda stole his satchel and promised to give it back if he took me to see the lanterns at the castle. So, he did. Sora was also a big help too, showing me how beautiful the world truly was. Soon enough, I discovered I was the lost princess and could finally go home to my family."

"It really _does _take one special person to help you escape a prison." Namine said with a soft smile. "To make you feel like no matter how lonely you might feel at the moment, there's always a light waiting to show you how beautiful the world truly is, especially when you see it through each other's eyes."

"Wow, that's deep, it's almost like you've been through the same thing as Raps…" Cass muttered.

"In a way, she has." Xion nodded in agreement.

Rapunzel reached forward and rested her hand on Namine's shoulder. "You were locked up too?"

Namine feld her head low. She hated talking about the time she spent locked up in Castle Oblivion. As if the feeling of everlasting loneliness wasn't enough, there she was, hurting people that she had strong memories of, whether they were fake or not. Kairi and Xion looked at each other before resting their hands on their friend's back. They knew how painful it was to bring it up, and it was always very brave of Namine to do so. They also knew that if anyone could understand her pain, it was Rapunzel, even more so than any of them could.

"I felt...so alone." Namine curled her hand into a fist. "For so long, nobody to care for me. All I did...was hurt people, the people who would become my dearest friends."

"How so?" Rapunzel asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Like you, Rapunzel, I have my own magic that has only grown with time. I could tinker with Sora's memories, and now, I can connect with others through their memories. I can help other relive memories if they choose to, but in the past...I was manipulated into tinkering with Sora's memories. Organization XIII wanted to use him as their puppet, so I was given no choice but to replace Kairi in his memories as a way to lure him into Castle Oblivion, the place where I was locked up, just waiting...for somebody…to set me free." Namine's voice trailed off as she held her head low.

Rapunzel sighed, holding onto her braid and running her fingers over her hair. "My magic...that's why Mother Gothel locked me up too. My hair...as long as I sang the Healing Incantation for her, it kept her young and never aged. To keep me locked up, Mother Gothel lied to me for many years about how the world was such a dangerous place and she was only trying to protect me."

"It's funny. Your magic was used for healing, while mine…" Namine chuckled.

"Namine, even if you had a rocky beginning, that doesn't mean it's too late." Xion said in an encouraging manner. "One of the biggest lessons I've learned in my short life is the ability to forgive yourself for past mistakes, learn from them, and go on stronger than ever."

Kairi smiled and nodded. "I've learned that too. Besides, plenty of good has come from your magic."

"That's how I coped." Rapunzel said with a sigh. "Even though Mother Gothel used me for my hair, I still looked at the bright side of what my magic can be used for." She noticed the numerous cuts on Kairi's arms and legs that looked like they were scarring up. "Uh...Kairi? May I?"

Kairi's eyes darted back and forth between her arm and Rapunzel before finally nodded. She held it out and allowed the princess to wrap her hair around her arm.

"What's she gonna do?" Xion asked.

"Just watch." Cass said, waving her hand.

Rapunzel exhaled deeply before shutting her eyes and beginning to concentrate her energy into her hair. "Flower gleam and glow…" She sang. "Let your power shine...Make the clock reverse...Bring back what once was mine." The more Rapunzel sang, the more light flowed through the thousands of strands of hair that made up her braid. It glowed about as bright as the sun itself as it began working its magic on Kairi's wounds. "Heal what has been hurt...Change the fate's design...Save what has been lost...Bring back what once was mine. What once was mine…"

Pascal squeaked as he shared a smirk with Kairi, who was as curious as her two friends that were watched the light travel through Rapunzel's hair and to the end where Kairi's arm was wrapped up. The warm tickling feeling of Rapunzel's magic gently stroked the locations of her cuts and bruises that were a result of the numerous battles she encountered on her journey so far. Once the warm feeling subsided, Rapunzel unwrapped her hair, revealing what was now flawless skin. It was the right color and shape it was meant to be, the same pale complexion and completely smooth without any sort of roughness from any abrasions.

"That's amazing…" Kairi gasped as she ran her hand over her arm. "Light...it heals…"

"Got anymore?" Rapunzel asked as she brought her braid back.

"Well, there is _one _more that's rather big." Kairi got up and removed the outer layer of her top, leaving her only in her white tank. Xion helped slide the back of the top up to reveal her biggest scar both physically and emotionally.

"Wow, that _is _big, but I'm sure my hair can take care of it just fine."

"Thanks, Rapunzel." Kairi thanked the princess. "But...I think I'm gonna keep this one." She said as she pulled her top back on. "I have this one because I wanted to fight by Sora's side. I've learned to accept it as a symbol of courage, bravery, and sacrifice."

Xion and Namine shared a smile and nodded. They knew that Kairi had grown in the time they were all together, but it was here where they realized just how much she had changed. No longer was she ashamed by that scar on her back, and no longer did she allow the negative memories associated with the scar to drag her down. She now looked upon it proudly, and used it as motivation to push her further. It was a classic moment of taking a weakness and turning it into strength, and Xion and Namine couldn't have been more proud of her.

"Alright, ready to move onto the spire, Raps?" Cass asked as she helped her up. "We have another scroll piece to find."

"Sure thing! Let's go ladies!" Rapunzel said cheerfully.

"Yeah! Oh, wait! You never told us about why we're going to this Dark Kingdom." Kairi pointed out.

"Right! Here, let me show you!"

Rapunzel dug into her aqua-colored purse that was a gift from Cassandra when she first arrived to the castle and pulled out two rolled up pieces of scroll. The girls watched as she handled it with absolute care, further proving just how important and crucial this scroll was to their journey. One by one, Rapunzel unrolled the first two pieces. The first piece had a sun and a moon displayed next to each other with foreign writing beside each of them. The sun and moon each had drops falling down the scroll from them. The drops from the sun formed a golden flower while the spot where the moon drops would've landed was torn.

Despite it being torn, the second piece of scroll would connect this mystery and would essentially answer their question of what was causing the black rocks to appear in Corona. The second piece of scroll had an illustration of the black rocks that reacted to Kairi when she got close to them. With the two pieces attached, it was revealed that the drops falling from the moon were forming the black rocks. There was still a lot behind this mystery, but it was comforting for the girls to at least have an idea of what they were dealing with.

"This scroll contains all the secrets and research of the Sundrop and Moonstone. It was written by Lord Demanitus during the ancient times of Corona, but as you can see, it's torn. We're missing two out of four pieces." Rapunzel explained.

"So, how the heck did such an ancient piece of research get torn like that?" Xion asked. "Even would throw a fit if anyone got within yards of _his _research."

"It was because of Zhan Tiri." Cass said in a low tone. "Zhan Tiri was a powerful demon warlock who was constantly at war with Lord Demanitus. He wanted the power of the both the Sundrop and the Moonstone, but Demanitus knew that if he gained control, it could mean disaster for Corona. So, as a way to protect the world, he tore the scroll into four pieces and scattered them all throughout and sealed Zhan Tiri in an alternate dimension."

Xion folded her arms. "It's always a lust for power…"

"When Adira gave me the second piece of the scroll, she told me to go to the Dark Kingdom to 'fulfill' my destiny. These black rocks that have appeared all throughout Corona, they've been looking for me to lead me to the Moonstone. If the Sundrop and Moonstone can unite, it'll stop the black rocks from destroying _everything_." Rapunzel said in a concerning tone.

"Hmm...I wonder if that's why the Heartless have been spawning up here. Maybe they're naturally attracted to the light of the Sundrop?" Kairi theorized.

"Is that what those monsters are called? Heartless?" Cass asked, her hand curling into a fist. "They started spawning in numbers around the same time as the rocks. Raps here was familiar with them, but we still had a hard time taking care of them. They've gotten worse recently."

"I believe that." Kairi nodded while folding her arms. "So, if I'm piecing everything together properly, then we need to get up to The Spire to get the third piece of scroll?"

"That's right. The sooner, the better. If we're not fast enough, the black rocks will keep spreading throughout Corona and destroy everything." Rapunzel said in a concerned tone.

Cass rested a hand on the princess' shoulder. "We'll make it, Raps. You said so yourself. The rocks are showing you the way."

"Then let's not waste any time." Kairi said affirmatively, linking her arms with Xion and Namine's. "We'll stick around and help keep you guys on your trail."

As everyone loaded back onto the camper, the same monkey that had been watching Kairi, Namine, and Xion earlier hung from his tail and watched them continue on their way. He managed to stay out of sight, but was rather intrigued by the interaction all five of the girls shared earlier when Rapunzel was showing off the scroll. There was definitely something special about them, especially if they contained such an important artifact.

Maximus and Fidella continued to pull the camper on their way until they came to a large house at the base of the mountain where the Spire was said to be located. Once they had arrived, Rapunzel hopped off and fed each of the horses an apple before she and Cass called for everyone else to hop off. The trip had felt long and comfortable and yet, also felt too short, making it take longer for a few of them to finally get up from their seats and stretch their legs out. The massive size of the warm-colored and multistory house was enough to garner everyone's attention. Whoever lived here was loaded.

"This should be where the Keeper lives." Rapunzel said as they approached the house. "They should be able to lead us to where the piece of the scroll is."

Everyone waited back while Rapunzel approached the doors. She took a moment before knocking a few times. There was no answer. She knocked again. Once again, there was no answer. She finally tried knocking a few more times, hoping the third time was the charm. Unfortunately, there was still no answer.

"Oh well, we tried." Eugene said with a shrug before walking away.

Lance sighed and grabbed him by the back of his collar. "Hang on there, buddy. There's a _much _easier way to open a door when nobody's answering." He charged up briefly before sprinting forward and breaking down the door with his bodyweight. His center of gravity was strong enough to send him collapsing down to the ground. "See? Nothing to it."

"Or, we could've just opened the door like normal." Cass said with a scoff.

"I knew that." Lance murmured.

"We appreciate the effort, at least." Namine said as she helped him up.

"Stop, you're too sweet." He chuckled.

Eugene nodded, putting his hands on his hips. "She sure is nicer than Little Red over there."

Kairi sighed and rolled her eyes. There was one advantage to this journey going as fast as it did. The sooner they make it to the Dark Kingdom, the sooner she and her friends could kiss Corona goodbye and never have to deal with Eugene. Well, at least Kairi wouldn't have to anymore. How was it that Xion and Namine got along with him just fine and she didn't? She pouted as Eugene walked beside Xion and engaged in casual friendly conversation. Great, at least she had Chirithy to chat with if she wanted to, right?

The inside of the house looked very similar to a museum with many ancient artifacts on display, as well as various stacks of books that were everywhere. The big difference was a museum was organized and clean while this house was _not_. Clumps of dust had gathered on the wooden furniture, spiderwebs had been spun in any corner possible, and books were not only scattered all throughout the house, but some of them were even left open. To make the environment even more unsettling, there were footprints and claw marks that looked _very _familiar to Kairi, Namine, and Xion. They were the same ones they discovered when they were investigating the mayor's house in Zootopia.

"The Keeper isn't here. What happened?" Rapunzel asked softly, as she brushed her hand along the wall.

"Heartless." Xion answered, pointing out to the claw marks and tracks that were scattered all throughout the house. "The Keeper either fled, or the Heartless attacked them and we were too late."

"That's...not good." Cass shook her head. "Raps, we might we better off just going up to the Spire ourselves."

"But the Keeper…"

Cass sighed and gripped the princess' shoulders. "I know you're concerned about their safety, but we need to focus on the big picture here. If we try searching for the keeper, we're just putting more lives in danger, including your parents."

"My parents…" Rapunzel whispered.

"Cass is right." Kairi explained. "The sooner we can get to the Dark Kingdom and get rid of the black rocks, they and the Heartless will all be gone and everyone will be safe again.

Rapunzel knew that both Kairi and Cass were right. The last thing she wanted was to put her family, friends, and her people in danger. Compared to how long she had lived so far, she hadn't been with her family very long and couldn't bear the idea of losing them again. She eagerly led the group out of the Keeper's house and took a look at the mountain that towered several hundred feet above them. Kairi, Rapunzel, and Cass were immediately ready to begin their hike up to the top. The same couldn't be said for the others. Namine always appreciated a good view, but the idea of climbing the whole way wasn't very appealing, while Xion, Eugene, and Lance were not looking forward to climbing, period.

The hike up to the Spire started off rather easy. There were some inclines and flat areas off and on until they came to a dead end. Upon observation, there were only three ways, which were to go back where they came from, start actually climbing the mountain, or just walk off a cliff and make the journey absolutely pointless. After much thought and consideration, Rapunzel got the idea that she used to use all the time when Mother Gothel wished to climb up her tower. She released her braid (again), and swung it around a boulder at the top before allowing it to fall back down toward her so she could use it to hoist her way up to the next flat ledge.

Kairi, Namine, and Xion watched in awe as Rapunzel smoothly climbed up using her hair. Each of them instinctively rubbed the back of their scalps, wondering how much it hurt to use hair as a climbing mechanism. Then again, using is for eighteen years probably increased her pain toleration. Once Rapunzel reached the top, she nodded her head, giving everyone the okay to start climbing up her hair with Cass taking the lead and Lance bringing up the end. At least if anyone lost their grip, he was strong enough to grab them before falling to their untimely demise.

"How are we doing back there?" Cass asked as she finished climbing up the ledge.

Kairi hauled herself up before taking a deep breath. "I'm doing fine!" She reached down and helped pull Namine and Xion up. "What about you two?"

"Great! This is so nice!" Namine laughed. "I may need to pull out my sketchbook if we have any time."

"I'd prefer a ski lift up, but not too bad." Xion brushed off her knees.

"I don't know about 'Abbot and Costello' down there." Kairi said with her arms folded as she watched Lance and Eugene struggle to pull themselves to the top.

Lance sighed heavily as collapsed onto the ground upon landing on top. "You guys go ahead, I'm gonna stay here a while."

"I should've stayed with the horses…" Eugene mumbled.

"Come on, guys! Where's your sense of adventure?" Rapunzel asked in a cheerful tone. "Besides, we're already halfway there!"

Eugene groaned, throwing his arms up. "Halfway? I thought we were further than that!"

"Rapunzel's right! What's a little hike, right?" Kairi asked as gently kicked Eugene in the side.

"Ow! Would you cut that out? And what kind of boots are those? I feel like you just tapped me with a frying pan."

Kairi laughed as she held her feet up close to his face. "Steel-toed boots. Perfect for combat _and _kicking obnoxious men when they deserve it."

Cass smirked and folded her arms. "I like the way you think."

"I grew up around guys, so I know how to handle 'em." Kairi brushed off her hands as she began following the rest of the group on the trail up the mountain. "You wouldn't believe this, but a couple years back, I was caught in the middle of a love triangle."

"Ugh...those are the worst in books." Cass rolled her eyes.

"Maybe, but actually, being part of one, it's kind of funny. My best friends Sora and Riku, they wouldn't stop fighting for my attention. So, I just let 'em keep going at it." Kairi laughed as she stretched her arms out.

"Let me guess, they're _still _going at it?"

"Nope. Sora is missing and that's why my friends and I are here, and I'm sure Riku has moved on from it."

Cass let out a chuckle, getting a kick out of this. "What if he hasn't?"

"Oh, he definitely has. Riku knows how I feel about Sora." Kairi said with a giggle. "But...I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't date Riku if I never met Sora. I mean, he has a lot of good qualities to him and has grown a lot in the last couple years. He's brave, compassionate, _very _good with a Keyblade, and...he's been through a lot. He needs someone who's going to understand him in that way." She said while hiding her arms behind her back. "He's also _really _good looking. That's one thing that's never changed."

Namine stopped in her tracks upon hearing Kairi's comment. She was right. If Riku was going to have a relationship with anyone, they'd have to understand him and his past. Namine felt confident that she understood Riku and could relate to him, but how well, she thought to herself. Most of the memories she had of them together we fake, and yet they were real enough to her and the Riku Replica to live on in the real Riku's heart. Was she right for him though? Kairi _had _known Riku for almost her whole life, just as long as she had known Sora, and their memories together weren't fake.

"Hey, you coming, Nami?" Xion asked from ahead.

"Oh!" She answered, snapping out of her thoughts. "Yeah, I'm coming!"

Xion arched an eyebrow as she watched Namine run right past her to catch up with the group. Part of her wanted to ask, but also part of her figured if it was worth talking about, Namine would bring it up. She shrugged her shoulders and also picked up her pace to stay caught up. Luckily during their trek, there weren't any Heartless to be dealt with. Instead, there was something much worse. As the path went on, it started to get thinner. The thinner it got, the more everyone had to stick close to the wall.

"There _had _to be a safer way up." Lance sighed, trying not to look down.

"All we gotta do is keep close to the wall." Kairi encouraged him.

"I could've told him that." Eugene said while rolling his eyes.

Namine's eyebrows furrowed as a scowl formed on her face. "How long are you two gonna keep this up?"

"Until _she _stops acting like a spoiled brat!" Eugene argued.

"It's not my fault he's a dimwitted baby!" Kairi folded her arms and raised her voice.

"Shh!" Cass tried to shush them. "You guys are driving us crazy!"

Kairi and Eugene's bickering didn't seem to cool off and Cass getting involved only made it worse. The only thing that could finally get them to stop was the sudden feeling of the ground shaking for a brief second. It was almost like a brief earthquake, except for earthquakes never started and ended that quickly, and they especially didn't repeat consecutively every other second.

"Uh...anybody feel that rumbling?" Lance asked, stopping in his tracks.

"It's probably Xion's stomach." Kairi said with a shrug.

"Hey, I may be the only one of us who has the appetite of a guy, but I know my stomach _never _rumbles that bad." Xion defended herself.

"Wait, I feel that rumbling too…" Rapunzel said as she stopped everyone.

"So do I…" Cass nodded in agreement.

As the rumbling continued, it felt like it was getting closer. Kairi, Namine, and Xion all swallowed a large gulp. Each of them had seen too many giant monster and dinosaur movies to know exactly when one was coming. The rumbling was too similar. The three of them turned around, followed by the rest of the group, and their expectations did not disappoint them. From around the corner, a massive quadruped Heartless whose purple body resembled that of a lion crept its way towards the hearts that it hungered for. It roared as it lowered its head, giving everyone a better look at the two massive horns that could easily pierce their bodies. Kairi scanned it with her watch and learned it was called a Behemoth, very appropriate name.

"Guys...what do we do?" Rapunzel asked as she backed away, Pascal hiding in her shoulder.

"Uh…" Eugene looked behind and saw Lance had already begun running ahead. "I'm gonna go with RUN!"

Kairi summoned her Keyblade while shielding the rest of the group. "You guys run ahead! Namine and Xion and I can take care of this thing. We'll catch up!"

"Uh...Kairi? Is this a good time to fight a giant Heartless?" Xion asked.

"Of course it is, why wouldn't it be?"

Namine tapped on Kairi's shoulder and pointed to how close all three of them were to the edge of the cliffside. "Because we're very close to falling down to our untimely deaths."

Kairi's head darted between the edge of the ciff and the Behemoth that was stomping its way toward her and crouched, getting ready to pounce. There was always a time to run away from a fight, and this was the time. She dismissed her Keyblade before ordering her two friends to start running ahead in the other direction, barely dodging the Behemoth's incredible pounce that would've send all three of them plummeting down the mountain. The Heartless roared before eyeing its gaze as the three girls and beginning to chase them down. This beast was arguably one of the most aggressive they had faced off against in a long time.

At first, Rapunzel and the others seemed to have disappeared, but instead, found a small cave that had an opening just big enough for everyone to climb through. Rapunzel whistled for the girls just as they had passed the opening and waved them over. Namine ducked in first with Xion right behind her. Kairi's heart rate soared as the Behemoth got closer the longer it took for each of them to climb in. Once it was clear, she not only ducked, but actually _dove _into the cave, not really having much of an option since she was just about to be a Behemoth's dinner. Xion and Namine helped yank her into the cave, leaving the Heartless to bang its head against the mountain a few times before it finally gave up and continued on its way.

"That was close…" Namine sighed of relief.

"What the heck was that thing? I've never seen a Heartless that big." Cass asked.

Kairi tapped on her watch that scanned the Heartless' data and pulled it up. "It's called a Behemoth. Its weakness is its horn on top of its head. No wonder we wouldn't have been able to fight it at this point."

Xion folded her arms and rolled her eyes. "Of course that's where its weakness is, the hardest to reach spot."

"Well, we'd better figure out our next move." Eugene suggested while taking a seat on the ground.

"We can't go back out there with that Heartless blocking our path." Rapunzel said with concern. "And it isn't right for Kairi, Namine, and Xion to be in _more _danger than they already are."

"Yeah, that complicates things." Kairi sighed as she leaned against the wall.

Lance browsed around the cave before leaning against a rock pillar. "Well, at least we got a safe place to rest." He started rubbing his back, the roughness of the pillar just giving him enough of a scratch. "Ohhh, that feels _good. _That feels _really _goo-"

Thanks to Lance accidentally leaning into a pillar too much, he knocked it over and caused it to smash against another pile of boulders. While normally, this would lead to an even worse situation, the light that shone in from the new opening created from the collapsing pillar could only mean one thing

"Hey, a way out! Who knew?" Eugene jested.

"Oh, you know, I just put my back into and it just magically appeared." Lance chuckled with a shrug.

"Look, I see something." Rapunzel said as she began climbing up the pillar. "I think it might be the top of the spire!"

As everyone continued to climb their way out of the cave, they found themselves on the top of the mountain. Kairi chuckled, thinking that maybe the Behemoth chasing them in there wasn't such a bad idea. Namine tapped on her shoulder and showed her what was a towering blue monolith. It stuck out from the rest of the mountain so much that the girls were surprised that they didn't see it sooner. Eugene and Lance were just glad to be not climbing anymore and to be on solid ground once again.

"We did it!" Namine jumped up and down.

"Great, job everyone!" Rapunzel cheered. She stepped closer to the doors, only to notice something topping them from going inside, a lock. Specifically, it was a lock with a keyhole. "Hmm, it looks like we might need a key to get inside." She turned around and walked back to the group. "Did anyone think to grab a key front the house?"

"Blondie, I can barely remember what I had for breakfast this morning." Eugene sighed.

Kairi smiled and exchanged affirmative nods with Namine and Xion before stepping up and summoning her Keyblade. "No problem. This looks like a job for a Keyblade master!"

Just as she could aim her Keyblade for the lock, the same rumbling from earlier in the trek caused Kairi to nearly lose her balance. Them rumbling this time, was worse. It was faster, almost as if the Behemoth _knew _that its enemies were right where it wanted them. Everyone gasped as the Behemoth appeared right in front of them once again. Now that they were atop the mountain, there was nowhere else for them to run and hide except for maybe diving back into the cave, but that wouldn't solve anything and would just make the situation worse.

"Oh, that's bad." Lance shuddered before stepping back.

Rapunzel furrowed her eyebrows and stepped forward. "Well, now's as good a time as ever to get rid of it." She said while gripping her hair.

"You said it, Rapunzel! Come on, ladies!" Kairi said with a nod.

Remembering what Kairi's watch said about the horn being the Behemoth's weak point, and remembering how aggressive it was, everyone start to separate. Kairi decided to start going straight for the horn and decided to try and climb the beast, which got increasingly difficult the more it moved around. Namine had begun firing Thundara spells, hoping they could hit the horn, but found it to be a challenge with the horn being such small target compared to the rest of its body. Xion even tried to launch a Strike Raid, but even failed at that when the Behemoth turned its head and used its side horn to block the Keyblade and send it flying back to her.

Namine saw that Cass was trying to distract the Behemoth to keep its focus on her. With it not giving any attention to anyone else, Namine cast Blizzara on its massive paw to keep it stuck in place. Rapunzel even started trying to tie her hair around its remaining paws to hopefully keep it down. However, this Heartless wasn't stupid. What it couldn't do physically, made up for it with its own dark magic. Lance gasped as he saw the Behemoth beginning to charge a bright beam on its horn. He assumed Kairi didn't notice or wasn't sure what to think of the charge as he saw her climbing up the beast's back.

Just as she got to the top, the Behemoth gathered all of its strength and threw itself up on its hind legs before releasing the energy gathered up as little balls that fired at anyone within close enough proximity, which turned out to be everyone. Unfortunately, Kairi had no way to hold her grip onto the Heartless and was bucked off onto the ground, specifically on her butt. The Energy Rain attack from the Behemoth did a number on the group and each of them really felt it, which led to them not realizing that the Heartless was crouching down and readying itself to pounce directly on its next target.

"Eh…" Kairi rubbed her butt. "Some things never change." She squealed as the Behemoth nailed her down to the ground with its paw and caused her to lose grip on her Keyblade.

"Kairi!" Namine and Xion called out to her. Xion dashed toward the Heartless only for it to rear kick her and knock her against a tree.

Rapunzel growled as she lassoed her hair around the Behemoth's horn and yanked it, causing its head to be reared. "We don't have time for this!"

"Aaaahhhhhh!"

Out of nowhere, Eugene came sprinting from behind Kairi and whacked the Behemoth in the face with a frying pan. It may not have defeated the Heartless, but between the stainless steel of the frying pan and the fact that Eugene gave it all, somehow was enough to stun the Behemoth, causing its head to collapse onto the ground for a short time. With the head now on the ground, Xion and Namine took the opportunity to begin smacking their Keyblades against the horn, especially upon seeing that the more they smacked it, it the more it cracked also began to separate from the beast's forehead.

"Frying pans! Useful, huh?" Eugene laughed out loud as he twirled his weapon of choice.

"Eugene…?" Kairi asked, in complete disbelief of what just happened.

Cass ran over and helped Kairi up. "Come on, Raps has it distracted, let's finish it off!"

"Got it!" Kairi nodded as she grabbed her Keyblade.

Just as Kairi and Cass were getting ready to finish it off, the Behemoth thrust its head back up and cast a Thundaga spell, which Kairi was able to deflect with her light barrier. Cass shot a determined look to Rapunzel, who returned the look, as if they had the same idea. Rapunzel threw her some of her hair and the two of them stretched it out, creating a trampoline of sorts. Kairi waited until the Behemoth's head was in the right spot before she finally jumped onto Rapunzel's hair, which bounced her up past the Behemoth's height. She dove back down as the beast stared right at her, giving her a prime spot to pierce the horn with her Keyblade, shattering the Heartless' weak point, and defeating it.

"Nothing like a nice little cleanup, huh?" Rapunzel brushed her hands clean once the Heartless faded away. "And look, it's still before dark!"

"Alright, sweetheart. Let's see some that key magic!" Lance encouraged.

Kairi smiled before approaching the doors, ready to use her Keyblade to unlock the doors, and without interruptions this time. The beam of light shot from the tip of the blade and unlocked the lock without any problem, giving everyone full access to the Spire. It was as big inside as it was outside and just as blue. The spiraling staircase that travelled all the way outside was surrounded by displays of ancient artifacts from Corona's history. It was almost like a large museum, and actually looked like one compared to the filthy house of the Keeper. Normally, Kairi would've loved to have stopped to browse around and look at everything, but she knew that Rapunzel didn't want to take too long.

Rapunzel was already making her way up the stairs, her eyes browsing the various displays until she came across the one she was looking for. There it was, enclosed in glass, a small purple compartment that matched the others she had been carrying along with her. She smiled at Pascal, who popped out and gave her a nod of approval for her to take it. Rapunzel opened the glass display and took out the compartment. She observed it in her hands for a moment, allowing herself to take in the fact that she had finally found the next piece of something so precious and important before returning down to the first floor.

"The third piece of the scroll." Rapunzel muttered as she held it in her hands. She smiled as she looked to Kairi, Namine, and Xion. "Thanks for coming with us here. We never would've made it here without you three."

"No problem! Glad to help!" Kairi laughed.

"Should we open it and see what it's all about?" Xion asked.

"Let's get back down the mountain to the camper." Cass suggested. "We need to go now if we're gonna make it back before sundown."

"Right!" All four of the girls nodded in agreement.

-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/

The hike back down to the camper was a breeze compared hiking up the mountain, especially now that there wasn't any Heartless stalking them this time around. Upon returning back down, everyone helped set up camp including Xion grabbing some firewood and Namine easily lighting it on fire, making a large enough campfire for everyone to warm up around. Kairi made some tea for everyone, which proved to not be a good substitute for Chirithy, who had gone the whole day without his beloved cappuccinos. Pascal seemed to enjoy poking fun at him for his addiction, but the little Dream Eater didn't find the fact that such a tiny lizard was making fun of what he considered to be a 'likeable quirk'.

Once everyone was settled in, it was time to gather around the campfire. It was nice to be able to rest after a strenuous hike up the mountain, even if there was a sense of tension between two particular members of the party. However, the tension had rather diffused into a sense of awkward conflicting feelings. Kairi didn't trust Eugene, and yet, he actually helped save her earlier that day. For someone that continued to look down upon her and treat her like dirt, he sure gave it his all and risked his own skin. Maybe there was more to him. Whatever it was, it had to wait to wait until morning. Kairi was too tired to think about it.

"We went through a lot of trouble for this. Let's take a look." Rapunzel said as she took the scroll out.

"It better be one amazing scroll." Lance said with a sigh.

Chirithy sighed and nodded. "Yeah, going a whole day without coffee? Better be worth it."

Rapunzel opened up the compartment and slid the rolled up piece of scroll gently into her hand. Everyone started gathering around her, eager to see what secrets this piece of the scroll held. Being careful not to rip it, Rapunzel gently rolled the piece out until it was completely flat and easy for everyone to see. It didn't appear to be much more than more of the same foreign writing as well as a guy with a black hood over his head. Considering their history with individuals wearing black hoods over their heads, Kairi, Namine, and Xion all shared concerned looks with one another. It couldn't be what they were thinking of, could it? The idea was too uncanny to be true.

"A guy in a hood?" Eugene asked in an annoyed tone. "All of this for a guy in a hood?"

"Hey, don't underestimate guys in hoods. I know from experience." Xion warned him.

"Who do you think he is?" Cass asked.

Kairi folded her arms. "The fact that he's in a black hood is unsettling."

"You don't think it's Luxu, do you?" Namine asked.

"There's no way. This scroll was written way before Luxu even existed." Kairi shook her head. "Rapunzel?"

"I'm...not sure, but I have a feeling...we're gonna find out." She answered in a softened tone, looking up to the night sky.

Not very far from the campsite, the monkey peered out from the around the tree, gazing upon Rapunzel, Eugene, and Kairi, specifically. He turned and climbed back up into a tree, a satisfying grin spread across his face.

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**A/N: In case you guys couldn't tell or were confused, Corona is gonna be based on Tangled the Series. That being said, this is a SPOILER WARNING for the animated series for the next few chapters. You have been warned!**

**Also, the whole thing with Axel/Kairi in the beginning half of the chapter, that's a headcanon that I actually have had for a long time since KH3 came out. I may turn that into a oneshot or something if you guys wanna see that!**


	47. The Great Tree

**A/N: OMG I can't believe how long it took for me to get this chapter done...Btw, sorry for the confusion last chapter about Rapunzel's hair growing back! There's an actual explanation for it and I just simply forgot to put it in last chapter, so you'll get it in this one! Also, HOLY CRAP! TRYING TO ADAPT AN ANIMATED SERIES INTO A FEW CHAPTERS IS HAAAAAAAAAAAAARD!**

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Chapter 47: The Great Tree

The evening hours came to and end and dawn arrived. Normally, Kairi had a way of waking up on the earlier side of things thanks to her being more of a morning person, thanks to her school schedule. This particular day was different. Namine and Xion were awake before she was, which shocked Xion since she was usually the one they had trouble waking up in the mornings. All things considered, the two of them decided to let her sleep in, especially with Rapunzel and Cass being gone for the time being.

As the sun continued to rise and the morning started to pass, Kairi finally awoke from her peaceful slumber by the campfire. She cracked her eyes open and found Namine sitting right beside her, working on a drawing. From her blurry half-woken vision, she could make out the colorful landscape only for Namine to add black pointy rocks. Kairi always enjoyed her artwork, and it had gotten even better over the year. She slowly stood up, her body feeling somewhat sore from sleeping on the hard ground, but let out a satisfying stretch, nonetheless.

"Morning…" Kairi said with a yawn. "How long have you been up, Nami?"

"Oh, not very long." Namine answered as she worked at her sketchbook.

Xion came out of the camper munching on an apple. "I'm surprised you slept in, Kai. Usually you're the early bird."

"I know. I guess yesterday took a lot out of me, or something. I don't know what it is. I've just been feeling more tired lately." She said with a sigh before stretching her arms out.

"It's been a long journey, a couple months actually since we first left Twilight Town." Xion noted as she looked at her phone.

"Wow, can't believe it's been that long already." Kairi shook her head. She scanned the area and noticed Rapunzel and Cassandra were missing. "Hey, Eugene? Have you seen Rapunzel and Cass?"

"Last time I saw them, they were going out for a race or something. Trying to give Maximus and Fidella some exercise or something." Eugene shrugged his shoulders as he started to load supplies back onto the camper.

"Morning everyone!" Rapunzel cheered as she returned to camp riding Maximus. Cass rode right behind her.

"Perfect timing, sunshine!" He greeted her.

Cass jerked her head in the direction they had just returned from. "We found where we need to go next. There are some mountains we have to travel through to get to the Dark Kingdom, but we can use The Great Tree as a shortcut and it'll cut us back on time."

"Great!" Namine jumped up after shutting her sketchbook and helped Kairi up. "If this Great Tree is really something, I'm gonna have to add it to my sketchbook."

Rapunzel gasped and began bouncing on Max's back. "You've gotta show me your sketchbook later! I have one too!"

"No way!"

"Alright, come on, you two." Cass chuckled. "We can have Arts and Crafts when we stop for camp next."

After Kairi scurried down to the pond to clean herself up a bit, she was ready to join the others in continuing their quest. Namine up front of the camper so she could show Rapunzel her sketchbook as promised while Kairi and Xion rode inside with Eugene and Lance. Xion engaged in conversation with Lance about their past lives. Lance found himself surprised that Xion was involved with an evil organization considering how nice he found her, much like how Xion was surprised that Lance used to be a thief. Then again, Axel and Saix were living proof that anyone could change, so who was she to not believe that Lance also changed.

Kairi sat awkwardly across from Eugene. There was a sense of awkward silence between them. Just the day before, the two had been bickering like children on a playground and now, Kairi didn't know what to say. He was a jerk to her before, but that same day before, he saved her life from the Behemoth. Was she wrong about him? Kairi folded her hands as she looked around, trying to think of a way to break the ice and talk to him. He at least deserved her time to just talk like mature adults instead of bickering. Her eyes landed on a book that Eugene was writing in. As someone who was interested in writing, she was immediately intrigued.

"What're you writing?" Kairi asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"Uh...nothing." Eugene quickly shut the book and set it to the side. "It's just...a journal. I like to keep track of the adventures I go on. It gives me stories to recall in the future."

"I see." She nodded. "I have one too. It's nice to have something to look back on, especially if it's such a life-changing journey." As the camper continued moving, she folded her hands and allowed her fingers to twiddle. "By the way, I never thanked you for saving me yesterday."

Eugene chuckled as she shoved his hands in his pockets. "I never thanked you for not tearing me apart with that giant key."

Kairi couldn't help but laugh. Okay, maybe he was a _little _funny. She noticed him look out the front opening to the camper that had a perfect view of Rapunzel for him. "You really care about Rapunzel, don't you?"

"You could say that. She...changed my life." Eugene sighed. "I started off as a boy from an orphanage who wanted to be like Flynnigan Rider, an adventurer in some of my favorite books. Being on your own, you have to fend for yourself, so not having any money, I turned to the life of a thief. Shortly after I met you and Sora, that was when I happened upon the tower Rapunzel was in and met her. Circumstances were...strange, but...when I was taking her back to Corona, I realized that she filled the emptiness that was in my heart for so many years. Gothel was so desperate to get back to that tower because of the power her hair had that I did the only thing I could do when she tried to use it to save my life, I cut it. It was gonna cost me my life, but at least she was finally going to be free, because once that hair was cut, it would turn brown and lose its power."

"Wait! If you cut her hair, then how is it…?" She asked, completely confused.

"Yeah, about that…" He chuckled. "Remember how those black rocks react to you and Rapunzel? Well, they kinda made her hair grow back, blonde, and have powers again."

"Wow…" Kairi laughed. "Well, even with her hair growing back, it worked out for you and Rapunzel right?"

Eugene smiled and nodded. "You could say that." He pulled out a small box and opened it up to reveal an engagement ring and showed it to Kairi. "I asked her to marry me once before, but she wasn't ready, so, I'm doing the only thing I _can _do, which is wait until the time is right."

"That's really sweet." Kairi said with a smile. "In a way, Sora's done the same for me. When I was just a little girl, I was washed upon the shores of this unknown place without any sort of memory or sense of who I was. The only things I knew were my name and that my grandmother existed. Everything else was gone. I was so scared and alone. But then I felt this boy's warmth in my heart. I knew he was special, and as long as we were together, I never felt scared or alone ever again."

"Sora's a good guy, and...I don't have any reason to doubt that you'll find him." Eugene said in a warm tone.

Kairi smiled and nodded. She couldn't agree with him more. "Eugene, I was wrong about you, and I'm sorry for judging you as harshly as I did."

"Eh, I kinda deserved it. I can be pretty stubborn at times." He chuckled. "But, I never should've blamed you for what happened. And for that, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Gotta look good in front of the girlfriend, right?" She teased, causing the two of them to share a laugh. "Shall we call a truce?"

"Well, you sure drive a hard bargain…" Eugene joked with a smirk.

"Eugene!"

"Alright, alright, sure. Truce." He said as the two of them shook hands.

Xion smiled as she watched Kairi and Eugene make up. Just out of the corner of her eye, she happened to be looking out the window when she noticed something strange. It looked to be a dark-haired man, riding a Chaos Carriage Heartless. At first, they seemed to be a decent distance away, but grew closer and closer by the second until she finally realized that this person was chasing after them with Fluttering Heartless surrounding him and also flying towards the camper.

"Uh...guys? Is it normal to have creepy looking guys riding a Heartless chasing us?" Xion asked, peeking out the window.

Eugene looked out with Lance doing the same. Both guys' jaws dropped when they saw the foe catching up to them. "Uh...not really. Blondie! We've got unwanted company!"

"What?" Rapunzel looked back and gasped. "Max! Fidella! Go faster!"

"I'll take care of the Heartless!" Namine said as she began to climb onto the rooftop.

Kairi and Xion also climbed out and on top of the roof with Namine alongside Cass. Each of them had their weapons ready to thwart off the the Flutterlings as they approached the camper. The only problem was that the Flutterlings continued to spawn no matter how many were taken out. Even Namine's magic spells weren't doing much good. To make matters worse, Rapunzel ended up having the camper separate into two halves, each one pulled by Max or Fidella, in the hopes that she would confuse the fugitive that was chasing them. A Parasol Beauty spawn on the half that Kairi and Cass were perched on, which only made protecting the camper much more difficult.

"They don't stop spawning!" Cass growled. "What are we supposed to do?"

Kairi looked down at her watch and remembered that she had attained some new help from Arendelle. She looked at the icons and saw the new bow and arrow icon, the answer to their problem. "Give me strength!" She yelled as she tapped the icon.

From above, it seemed like an arrow suddenly came shooting down before it turned out to be an anthropomorphic fox with a green tunic that donned a golden hat with a red feather. He brushed himself off and took a bow before Kairi and Cass.

"Robin Hood, at your service, my fine ladies! How may I-" He introduced himself before being cut off by Kairi.

"Nice to meet you, but take _those things _out, please!" She quickly asked while dodging the Parasol Beauty's spin attack.

Robin Hood furrowed his eyebrows before loading his bow. "I was beginning to wonder when I'd have a new challenge!"

"Great! You focus on them, we'll focus on this one and helping Namine and Xion." Kairi said with a nod.

Robin returned the nod before he began firing arrows at the Flutterlings. As Kairi blocked a Parasol Beauty's attack and countered, knocking it off the camper, she noticed and was impressed by Robin's accuracy with the arrows. Not only was he firing up to three arrows at once, but each of them nailed the Flutterlings with such precision. He was even aiming at the ones that were farther back and hadn't reached the camper yet and _still, _each arrow was a complete bullseye.

As much as Kairi wanted to just sit back and let Robin take care of the Flutterlings, she needed to get back to helping Cass. The mysterious individual summoned some Malachite Bolero Heartless and they immediately went after Cass and Kairi. As they began to cast a swirl of wind spells, Kairi leapt in front of Cass, using a barrier to block the spells and counter the Aero Cutter attacks and before casting a Thundara spell to do some significant damage to the Heartless. The damage knocked them back far enough that they ended up despawning, as if they decided not to waste their time going after the camper.

Kairi and Cass looked down and saw Xion and Namine were handling the Heartless just fine, but immediately grew concerned when they saw the man get close enough that he was within swinging range. He swung his sword, nearly getting Namine, who was lucky enough to see him quickly and jumped, avoiding his attack completely. Cass growled before jumping to the other half of the camper. She ordered for Namine and Xion to go with Kairi. Whoever this individual was, they were dangerous. The two of them decided not to argue and jumped back on the other side with Kairi.

Just as Cass was ready to take the attacker on one-on-one, he summoned another couple Parasol Beauties to try and take her out. Normally, Cass didn't have a problem with this, but considering it was just her, and against two Heartless nonetheless, she struggled with blocking their attacks, especially with her not having much of a way to guard against their attacks. One of the Parasol Beauties fired its energy beam attack on Cass and knocked her down. She was about to get up until she realized that that another Parasol Beauty was using its spin attack and was coming right for her.

Cass lowered her head and raised her arm instinctively to try and block it, only for the sound of a swipe to occur shortly after. She looked up to see not Kairi, Namine, Xion, or Rapunzel, but another woman, whose face was half painted red to match her tunic and her white hair pulled back. She immediately knew who it was, especially based on the sharpened blade that impaled the now de-materializing Heartless. All she could think about was that she wished it was anyone other than that woman.

"Adira." Cass hissed.

"It looks like you're in a position where I have to rescue you again!" Adira snapped back at her.

The mysterious individual hopped onto the camper upon realizing Adira's presence. He drew his own blade and clashed with her. The two of them nearly went at each other's throats until she was able to fake him out and kick him off, leaving it up to Rapunzel once the two halves of the camper reunited. With the camper now back together, it was coming up to a ditch. It was apparent that due to the weight of the camper, they wouldn't make it to the other side. Rapunzel got the idea to just let it go over and use her hair to slow it down and ease the camper down.

Just as she had hoped, Rapunzel had wrapped herself, her friends, and the camper all in her hair and use it to stop them from falling all the way down. Once they had stopped and were left just hanging in midair, she began to slowly lower them safely onto the ground. Luckily for them, they just happened to land near the entrance to the Great Tree, which was their destination before they got ambushed. With everyone safely on the ground, Kairi checked in with the group to make sure they were all okay while Rapunzel immediately went to speak with Adira, who she had encountered before, and was the one who she got the second piece of scroll from.

"Thanks again, Adira." Rapunzel thanked her. "Who was that man who attacked us?"

"And you'd better give us some solid answers." Cass said in a condescending tone.

Adira sighed. "His name is Hector. He's a part of the Brotherhood, a group of warriors sworn to keep any and all away from the Dark Kingdom. There aren't many in the group, but Hector is the deadliest and most sadistic."

"And they were using the Heartless…" Kairi muttered softly.

"Which is why it's more important than ever that Rapunzel reaches the Dark Kingdom." Adira said in a concerned tone. Those creatures spawn with the black rocks."

Namine gasped softly, stepping forward. "We'd better hurry then."

"A wise choice." Adira nodded in agreement. "I will guide you and your party through The Great Tree."

When the idea of entering a tree entered the girls' minds, they expected to find themselves in a surrounded by bark, roots, and bugs, things that small critters that lived in trees were used to being surrounded by on a daily basis. Instead, upon first steps into the Great Tree, it felt like stepping into an entirely different realm. Brightly colored flowers, plants, rocks, even a little stream created the illusion that they weren't even inside of a tree anymore. It looked like an enchanted forest inside of the tree. Because of that enchanting impression, there was something about it that also left an unsettling impression.

"It's so beautiful!" Rapunzel gasped.

"I don't know what it is, but something about this gives me the creeps." Xion said while folding her arms.

"It's because this tree was once the home of Zhan Tiri." Adira explained. "Milennia ago, this tree was once a sentient being, a force for good. But it was corrupted by an evil sorcerer to destroy any who approached. As long as Zhan Tiri was inside this tree, he was invincible. But Lord Demanitus put a stop to the tree's magic using an enchanted spear."

"So, if I've got this straight, an evil demon used to live in this tree?" Xion repeated. "Oh yeah, nothing dangerous about this at all, nothing."

"It's harmless now." Adira assured her. "The evil magic is long gone now."

"Well, it's a long way up to the other side. We'd better get going." Rapunzel waved the group to follow her and Adira.

Cass watched as everyone walked ahead of her, with Kairi bringing up the caboose. She stayed back and close enough to speak with Kairi without anyone else hearing her. "Hey, I don't know about you, but I don't trust Adira's intentions." She whispered.

"I mean, sure she kind of came out of nowhere, but she _did _save us back there." Kairi admitted. "Don't you think we should give her _some _benefit of the doubt."

"I'd agree with you, except for Raps has a tendency to trust everyone she meets." She said while rolling her eyes.

Kairi bit down on her lip and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds a lot like Sora. Sometimes it leads him into trouble, but other times, he's helped a lot of people and made a lot of new friends, like Rapunzel and Eugene. I guess at the end of the day, sometimes you just have to take risks in life, otherwise you could miss out on something or someone amazing in your life."

"I'm not sure this is the same situation, but I understand what you're saying." Cass said as her head held low. "You see, when I was little, my mother abandoned me. My dad, who was a royal guard at the castle, was the one who found me that night, and he took me in. I didn't know if I could trust anybody after that, or if I even wanted to. I guess if I hadn't given anyone a chance, I wouldn't have the relationship I have with my dad, and Raps and I wouldn't have our friendship."

"That's true, but it's also okay to have your guard up, especially if you're looking out for those you care about." Kairi encouraged her. "I like to keep my guard up, but I also like to give people the benefit of the doubt...for the most part. I'm sure Adira has good intentions. You should give her a chance."

"Give her a chance to what? Throw me to the side and step in my place?" Cass asked in an irritated tone. "You don't know what it's like. Everywhere I've turned, I've always gotten left in the dust. I just...I don't get it. It's like no matter what I do, it's not enough." She vented.

Kairi stopped, her head hanging low. "Yes...I do." She knew it all too well. She remembered of all the times when Sora and Riku left her behind because they were trying to protect her and thought she couldn't hold herself over. Even if it was done with the best intentions, she didn't appreciate them not giving her a chance in the beginning. "Your best friends not giving a chance because they constantly feel like they can handle it themselves?"

Cass sighed, her face relaxing as she heard Kairi's own feelings. "O-kay, you do understand."

"I do, but everything's different now." She said in a low tone, curling her hand into a fist. "I'm not letting _anyone _push me aside anymore. Cass, sometimes if you want something bad enough, you have to fight for it, even if it means stepping out of your comfort zone."

Cass watched as Kairi picked up the pace and walked ahead of her. While she agreed that Kairi did have a point, she still felt that maybe she was almost too trusting of others. She even noticed that the redhead came off as rather naive and innocent. It almost reminded her of Rapunzel, which would lead them to butting heads sometimes due to Cass' more cynical and cautious approach to people. All she could hope and pray was that her suspicions were wrong and that Kairi and Rapunzel were right to trust Adira.

The deeper they climbed up the tree, the more immersive the 'forest' became. There was even a point where the travelled path started to split into multiple directions. Adira seemed to know exactly where she was going, thus prompting everyone to follow her. Unfortunately, not everyone was paying attention to her. Eugene and Lance had become distracted while exploring their surroundings _slowly _behind everyone else. Because of the said distractions, the guys separated from the rest of the group, who had continued on their path, unaware that they were missing a couple of their members. Although, thanks to Maximus' alert nature, he _did _finally figure out that Eugene and Lance were missing and decided to go searching for them with Pascal.

With Maximus, Pascal, Eugene, and Lance separated, the girls trekked through an ancient tunnel that lead them to what looked like a small meadow. It was peaceful, having a small pond with perfectly healthy trees and beautiful purple flowers surrounding it, but that was what crept out Cass and Xion. It was almost too peaceful considering who used to inhabit the tree.

"What...is this place?" Rapunzel asked.

"I don't know, but it's really pretty." Kairi said with a chuckle.

"Eugene, you gotta see…" Rapunzel took a look back, her smile fading when she noticed that he and Lance were both missing. "Uh...where's Eugene and Lance? And Maximus?"

Cass' eyebrows furrowed as she folded her arms, shooting a deadly glare at Adira. "_You _wouldn't happen to have anything to do with this, would you?"

"Cass, knock it off." Xion sighed while putting her hands on her hips. "They probably wandered off somewhere or accidentally got left behind. We weren't exactly making sure everyone kept up with each other."

"One of us should probably go find them. We don't know how dangerous it is off path." Namine suggested.

"I'll go." Xion volunteered.

"Kairi, if you want to stay here with the others, I'll go with Xion in case she runs into trouble." Namine offered, placing a and on Kairi's shoulder.

Kairi nodded in agreement. "That's a good idea. Chirithy? Can you go with them too?"

"Do I have to? Chirithy hasn't had his coffee today...and he's _beat_." He sighed as he sluggishly climbed on Kairi's shoulder.

Xion growled before picking him up by the back of his neck like a cat. "Yes, you do. You're the only one who can easily get back if anything happens."

Chirithy grumbled and started squirming in Xion's grasp. "Hey! Put me down! I am not a cat! Put me down!"

Xion and Namine carried Chirithy off, leaving Cass, Kairi, Rapunzel, Adira, and Fidella to be the only ones left. As Kairi saw her friends off, she was intrigued by the stone wall that appeared to enclose this meadow. There was something written and illustrated on the wall. If her history classes have taught her anything, it was not to ignore anything written on a wall, especially when dealing with ancient legends.

"Hey, what's this writing on the wall?" Kairi asked as she walked up and brushed her hand against it.

Rapunzel took a closer look, feeling that she had seen this exactly writing once before. She reached into her purse and pulled out the first piece of the scroll, holding it up for comparison. The wall scribblings matched exactly with the scroll piece, having a sun and a moon with tear drops falling from both, and foreign writing right beside each of them.

"Nobody knows. Many have perished, trying to unravel its mystery." Adira explained.

Cass came over with a scroll and handed it over to Rapunzel. "Here, take a look at this. Someone translated some of it."

"Hmm…" Rapunzel opened the scroll and studied the translated letters that matched with its foreign character counterpart. "Flower gleam and glow, let your powers shine…" She read out loud, gasping once she realized what it was. "It's the healing incantation for the Sun-Drop."

"This must be where it came from." Kairi inferred. "If that one's for the sun, then there has to be one for the moon, right?"

"The Sun-Drop's power was to heal. What's the MoonStone's?" Cass asked.

With the scroll in hand, Rapunzel turned from the wall and looked out toward the pond. Having no idea what could occur with this incantation, she figured it'd be best to just recite it blankly and see what happens.

"Whither and decay, end this destiny. Break these earthly chains, and set the spirit free." Rapunzel read from the scroll. Upon realization that nothing had happened, she decided to give in a second read. "Whither and decay, end this destiny. Break these earthly chains, and set the spirit free."

The words from Rapunzel's second time reading the incantation reached the earth around her, and thus began to react. As she continued to read repeatedly, the plants around suddenly began wilting, rotting, and dying instantly, almost as if the poem that had not become a song was sucking the life out of everything, including herself. Rapunzel's eyes vanished until there was nothing but black as well as her hair losing the healing light that kept her hair blonde until it was also a solid black color that matched her eyes. As the life within the meadow continue to decay, the light faded, until the entire group remained in a place of suffocating darkness.

Like the plants, Cass, Adira, and Kairi had all begun to feel the effects of the MoonStone's incantation. All three of them collapsed, feeling this pain slowly travel through their body. For one of them, the pain was _more _intense, and she could feel it the most in her chest, where her heart of pure light resided. Kairi fell to the ground, heavily breathing and body shaking. Her chest felt like it was on fire with thousands of needles stabbing it at the same time. The longer Rapunzel continued to sing the incantation, the harder time Kairi had moving. The color in her body began to fade, and she could feel the warmth turning into a frigid cold.

Despite her despair, Kairi felt another fire within her. It was a fire that drove her to fight through her pain and to stop Rapunzel. She could see with her heart that the darkness of the MoonStone was consuming her and she had no way to control it. It was as if Rapunzel's light was reaching out to hers, calling for help. Kairi knew then and there, that Rapunzel was indeed a Princess of Heart and she had to save her heart. She struggled to sit up on her knees and summon her Keyblade, but was determined. She aimed her weapon at Rapunzel's back and shot a beam of light. The impact of the shot was enough to knock Rapunzel forward and into the pond. Luckily, everyone seemed to bounce back once the singing had stopped, but the same couldn't be said for the plant life that was gone for good.

"Raps! Raps!" Cass hollered as she rushed forward and cradled an unconscious Rapunzel in her arms. "Please get up! Please!"

Rapunzel cracked her eyes open to the concerned face of her friend, only to smile sheepishly and chuckle, keeping to her upbeat personality. "That was unexpected."

"I'm sorry, Raps. I'm supposed to protect you." Cass apologized as the two hugged.

"It's okay, Cass. I'm alright, thanks to Kairi." She said, looking to Kairi, who managed to get herself back on her own two feet. "Thank you."

Kairi smiled and nodded. "Glad to be of help."

As Cass helped Rapunzel up, the rooftop began to shake, small pieces falling down to the ground. It appeared as if the rooftop was about to cave in. Kairi, Cass, and Rapunzel ran out of the pond as a chunk of the roof collapsed right down, creating a powerful splash. Luckily, not only were they not smashed from the roof piece, but on top of the broken piece was a large flower that had Eugene, Lance, Namine, Xion, and Chirithy all wrapped up in its vines. They didn't seem bothered at all by it. In fact, they were laughing, giving everyone the impression that these flowers sprayed a laughing spore on them.

"Rapunzel! What's up?" Eugene asked in a slurred tone.

"Hey Kairi! Your hair is looking _so _cute today! Oh my gosh!" Xion giggled before collapsing on her back.

"Well, we found the guys." Kairi said with a chuckle.

With a quick swipe with her Keyblade, Kairi got rid of the man-eating flower, releasing the guys and her friends. It took a little time for the laughing spore to wear off, but dunking everyone's heads in the pond helped speed up the process. Despite the spore affecting them physically, nobody retained the memory of it, only seeming like a silly little dream in their mind. If there was one thing that definitely hadn't changed, it was Chirithy's desire for coffee, which wasn't going to happen for a long time, unbeknownst to him.

Once exiting the meadow, it was nothing more than a straightforward hike up to exit the tree. Unlike the bottom of the tree, the top looked more like the inside of a cavern with the pathway out zipping back and forth all the way up. It was a hike, but nothing beyond just walking uphill the whole time with a few flat plateaus every now and then for a break. Compare to the mountain they had to climb to reach The Spire, this was much easier. The fact that the Heartless stayed away from the tree also helped.

Even without any Heartless to deal with, it didn't change the fact that Kairi was instinctively walking slower than usual. Despite walking as fast as she could, she just couldn't keep up with the group. She also found herself stopping every now and then to catch her breath, something that was abnormal for her. Kairi didn't really think about it though. Instead, she just took it as a sign that she had been pushing herself too hard recently and needed to slow down. When Kairi stopped once again to catch her breathe, Chirithy popped out, taking notice of her change in behavior and growing concerned.

"Kairi? You okay?" Chirithy asked. "You're walking slower than usual."

"Hm?" Kairi responded, as if she were daydreaming. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine."

"Hey! Wait for us!" He called out to Namine and Xion, who were walking beside Adira. "We need to catch up."

Namine turned around, her eyebrows furrowing at the sight of her friend's unusual behavior. "Hang on, you two. We need to let Kairi catch up."

"That's weird." Xion noted. "Usually she's really good about staying with the group and is usually ahead of us."

"I wonder if it has to do with…" Adira muttered.

"Has to do with what?" Xion asked, her tone growing in concern.

Adira shook her head. "Never mind." She rested a hand on Kairi's back as she managed to catch up. Her breathing was noticeably heavier than usual after a hike. "Hey, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." Kairi assured them. "I guess I'm just… a little more tired today, that's all."

Whether Adira believed her or not, she was concerned for Kairi's safety and health, and could tell she wasn't going to make it all the way through the tree without a break. The hour was growing late and they were at the halfway point. Everyone else appeared to be worn out as well, but Kairi looked to be the most worn out and she was the one that walked the slowest.

"I suggest we camp out here for the night." Adira suggested. "We're at the halfway point, and this one here needs a rest."

"No! We're getting out of this tree as fast as we can!" Cass snapped at her.

"I don't think that's your call to make, kid." Adira said with a smirk.

"Cass…" Rapunzel intervened. "We could all use the rest." She watched as Kairi sat down slowly against a wall to catch her breath. "Kairi especially needs it."

Kairi shook her head, denying everyone's assumptions. "Guys, really, I'm fine. I just need a minute."

"Rapunzel, Kairi, this place almost go us all killed." Cass argued.

"And Kairi was there to prevent it." Adira added on.

Cass growled, her patience being at its tipping point. "You stay out of this, Adira! I think you're playing us. I think you led us here on purpose, and for some sick reason, you wanted Rapunzel to find that incantation and read it."

Rapunzel walked up and rested a hand on Cass' shoulder. "Come on, Cass. Listen to yourself."

"Rapunzel, I'm telling you right now, we need to get out of this tree and get rid of Adira before she gets us all killed." Cass sighed, her scowl growing as she saw the hesitation in Rapunzel's face upon her suggestion. "Are you that obliviously naive that you can't see-"

"Enough, Cassandra!" Rapunzel snapped, her voice echoing through the tree, and throwing everyone, even Eugene, off with her sudden outburst. Cass' face dropped and she stepped back, genuinely shocked that her own friend wouldn't take her side in this situation. "Nobody's getting rid of anyone!" The aggravated princess ordered. "Is that clear?"

Cass paused, her eyes scanning everyone's surprised faces before lowering her head in surrender, ashamed that she angered the princess. "Yes, you're highness." She said softly.

If tension could affect the environment, there would be violent tremor, nearly knocking everyone off balance. Unfortunately, there was a tremor, but it wasn't due to the tension between Cass and Rapunzel.

"What's happening?" Xion asked as she tried to retain her balance.

"The tree! It's moving!" Eugene cautioned.

"I'm outta here, folks!" Lance said before beginning to run further up.

From the deepest and darkest pits of the tree, appeared what could only described a Heartless that was created by the tree's possessed roots. It could easily be compared to the head of Medusa, albeit with the face of a Heartless and the hair made of roots as opposed to snakes. Kairi checked her watch and scanned its data, learning that it was called Brute Root and that it was weak to fire and ice magic, which was especially helpful considering she and Namine both knew Fira. The beast was also incredibly fast and began to wrap Eugene and Lance in its roots before either of them had a chance to run far.

"Eugene!" Rapunzel attempted to reach for him.

"Lance!" Kairi did the same, only for both of them to be completely entangled by roots.

Cass growled, shooting a deadly glare toward Adira. "You said this tree was safe! This is the second time we're having to fend for our lives!"

"Cass! Now's not the time to argue!" Rapunzel called her out.

"We're gonna have to fight our way through it!" Kairi said while gripping her Keyblade.

The girls all split up and attempted to cut the roots to try and take the Heartless down whether by slicing them or by casting magic spells on them. Unfortunately, it seemed like with each root that was cut, a few more would grow in its place. Even Namine freezing them and Kairi using Fira to melt them didn't do much good either. Xion tried using Fire Raid to try and cut multiple roots at the same time, with the same results. Brute Root also reared its head and attempted to attack Cass with a deadly clam of its jaw only for Rapunzel to grab a tooth with her hair and yank its head in her direction.

Kairi then thought to try and attack the head directly. She decided to try and go at it with melee attacks, but unfortunately had an armor around it that prevented it from being damaged by physical weapons. When she realized her physical attacks were failing, Kairi called for Namine to help her cast Fira on the head. They both shot their pyro spells, and while it seemed to take damage from magic, it didn't do much of good anyway due to Brute Root using its roots to attack, knocking Kairi and Namine both out of range. Rapunzel decided to try and entangle the roots with her hair, but she could only get so many of them before some of them attempted to go after her, only for Cass and Adira to block those roots.

"It's no use!" Namine sighed as she was helped up. "What else can we do?" She asked.

Cass looked around before she looked down below and noticed a glowing spear that stuck out like a sore thumb amongst the rest of the earthy tones. "Raps! Look at that!"

"I should've known. Someone removed the spear that kept the darkness sealed in this tree." Adira huffed.

"Who could've done it?" Kairi asked.

"It was easily a member of the Brotherhood of the Dark Kingdom. I'm sure I know who it was too, especially since...I'm a member." Adira answered.

"What?" Everyone gasped in unison.

"So, you _were _playing us?" Cass accused her.

"I'm afraid you're wrong again. I have since turned on the Brotherhood. Their use of those shadow creatures only further proves that I made the right choice. My only desire is for the Sun-Drop and the MoonStone to join once again, and end this curse in our world."

"Regardless of who is right and who is wrong in this, we still have _that thing _to deal with!" Xion yelled before one of the roots suddenly erected from the ground and tightly wrapped her in a bind.

"Xion!" Kairi and Namine both reached for her. Unfortunately, each of them were plucked from the ground by a root and were squeezed tightly.

"No! Kairi! Namine! Xion!" Rapunzel cried out.

Cass and Adira were also grabbed by the roots, albeit at least Cass had use of her right arm and wasn't completely in a bind like everyone else was. Rapunzel's breathing grew heavy as she saw that the Brute Root had captured everyone and she was all that was left. What else could she do? She wasn't the most skilled in combat, especially compared to Cass, Adira, and Kairi and her friends. A frying pan wasn't going to help her this time around. All that Rapunzel had was her hair.

Her hair...that was when it hit her.

Rapunzel looked at her hair and her friends that were all wincing and groaning in pain as the roots continued to squeeze their bodies. It was a risk, but she didn't have a choice. She straightened herself up and shut her eyes, taking a deep breath, the same ritual she always did when she was ready to use an incantation. Cass, who had been fighting against the roots to grab the enchanted spear, could tell from her position what Rapunzel was attempting to do. All she could think of was trying to stop her from doing it.

"Raps, wait! You can't do that incantation again!" Cass warned her. "Just give me a minute to grab the spear!"

"I don't have a choice, Cass. I have to do this!" Rapunzel argued, her mind made up.

"Rapunzel!" Kairi breathed out. "Please! Don't do it!" She struggled.

Rapunzel took a deep breath, shut her eyes, and focused all of her energy as she began the moon's incantation once more. "Whither and decay, end this destiny. Break these earthly chains, and set the spirit free." She recited.

Once again, Rapunzel's roots turned black and spread all throughout her hair. The moon's incantation began to work its magic. The roots began to slow down its movement, thus the strength of their bind lessened. However, despite the bind weakening, the incantation's magic had begun to affect everyone just as it had before. The roots began to slowly rot until they were dried crumbled pieces. The dead roots broke down and freed everyone from their clutches. Even the Heartless itself had begun losing its energy due to the roots, its energy source, dying out.

Though each of her friends were now free, the moon incantation continued to slowly drain their energy, and Rapunzel continued to recite the incantation. Anyone would've expected her to stop so she could escape the now collapsing tree with them, but something was preventing her from ending her recitation. With the incantation killing everything related to the tree, it started to collapse for real this time. It was at this point that if everyone didn't hurry out of the tree, they were going to get trapped or killed or both.

"Rapunzel!" Eugene called out to her.

"Everyone! Get out!" Rapunzel ordered fiercely.

Eugene and Lance all began running out, knowing that in the state she was in, there was no breaking her free. Xion and Namine were also hightailing it out of the tree not far behind them. Kairi had unfortunately been affected by the moon's incantation once again. This time, it was worse. The previous time, she was at least able to stand on her two feet. She wasn't so lucky this time. The fact that Rapunzel was still using the incantation didn't help her case either. Kairi struggled to stand up to escape, only for her to completely collapse, nearly losing all feeling in her body. She was at least conscious enough, but was barely holding on. Even if she didn't call for help, her thud from collapsing on the ground was loud enough to garner her friends' attention.

"Kairi!" Xion and Namine ran over to help her up.

"Guys, I'm fine." Kairi said as she struggled to stand up.

"No you're not! You're hurt!" Xion argued. "Come on, Nami, let's help her up and get her out of here!"

Namine nodded. "Don't worry, Kairi! We're not far from the exit."

"No! Guys! I have to go back and...help Rapunzel!" Kairi struggled as she used her friends for support.

"Cass and Adira are already with her! We have to get _you _to safety!" Xion tightened her grip around Kairi's waist. "Let's go!"

Deciding to ignore Kairi, Xion and Namine held onto her body and were quick to help her escape out of the tree, leaving Cass and Adira to try and get Rapunzel come back to her senses. With them coming closer to being trapped by the rubble of the tree, Cass decided to forgot the spear for now and try to focus on getting Rapunzel out of there.

"Raps! Come on!" Cass urged her.

Rapunzel shook her head, her body shaking the longer she used the incantation. "I've got this, Cass!"

"You heard her. Let's go." Adira said while gripping Cass' arm.

Cass yanked her arm back, gritting her teeth. "No! I'm not leaving her behind! Come on, Raps! What are you waiting for?"

"I can't…" Rapunzel breathed out, continuing to recite the incantation. "I can't control it!"

In one final desperate attempt, Cass reached out for Rapunzel's hand, only for the darkness of the incantation to burn her hand. She cried out in pain and drew her pain, which reached Rapunzel enough to finally snap her out of the incantation. Upon realizing that her friend was hurt, she knelt down, trying to help Cass up and make sure she was okay.

"I...I could've stopped it. You should've let me try." Cass murmured in a defeated tone, leaving Rapunzel guilt-ridden for not only being blind to her friend's desire to help, but also for her own injury.

Adira ran up and rested her hand on Rapunzel's back. "Princess, stay on the path to the Dark Kingdom. Our destinies all lie within you."

With one more farewell, Adira grabbed the spear and leapt down the to where the 'heart' of the tree would be and stabbed it. Just as she had said, the spear did its job of sealing the darkness inside the tree, and the Heartless began to dematerialize and fade away. Even with the Heartless faded away, the damage had already been done to the tree thanks to the moon's incantation and was nothing but waste pile of dead branches, roots, and a spear that stuck out of the bottom. Even Adira had vanished upon completion of sealing the darkness away.

Rapunzel looked down and sighed, hoping Adira made it out okay and internally thanking her for her courage and guidance. Everyone else had seemed to bounce back from the incantation effects smoothly. Almost everyone did, at least. Kairi was still feeling rather weakened by it and took a seat against a boulder to try and rest her head that had begun spinning while her body was almost numb. Her immediate first thought was that she was most likely dehydrated, but Xion and Namine thought otherwise.

"So, now what?" Eugene asked once everyone seemed okay.

Rapunzel furrowed her eyebrows and stepped forward, her eyes gazing upon the moon rocks that continued to point her in the direction she had been travelling. "My destiny awaits me up ahead, and these rocks are guiding me. We have one more piece of the scroll to find and the Dark Kingdom doesn't appear to be far from here." She looked over at Cass, who was brushing her arm. "Cass? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. It won't happen again." She answered with a grunt.

"Guys!" Xion called for everyone's attention. "I think we may need to stop again."

Kairi as hunched over, breathing heavily, almost as if she wasn't getting enough oxygen. Her breathing was accompanied by weak whimpers, almost as if she was feeling pain. Xion and Namine shared a concerned look with each other before kneeling down close to their friend. There was definitely something going on with Kairi, as this was the first time they had seen her like this. Even during the moments where she had gotten hurt on their journey, she was usually really good at bouncing back.

"Hey, you okay?" Lance asked as he knelt by the girls.

"Yes…" Kairi nodded, trying to catch her breath. "I'm fine."

Xion shook her head, her face scrunching up in concern. "Kairi, something's been off about you since we went through that tree. Whatever it is, it's affecting your strength."

"Maybe we should leave." Namine suggested in a hushed whisper. "We can go see Master Yen Sid or Master Ansem, and see if they'd know anything."

"No!" Kairi snapped, fighting against her exhaustion and standing up. "I'm not leaving Rapunzel in her time of need. Sora would never abandon a friend in need of help, and I'm not about to do it either."

Rapunzel approached the redhead, a look of concern spread across her face. "Kairi? Are you sure? I understand you wanting to help, and you _have _been a big help, but if you need to rest…"

"My mind is made up." Kairi said affirmatively, curling her hand into a fist. "Let's keep moving forward."

Xion couldn't help but frown in frustration. She understood Kairi's desire to help Rapunzel, but at the end of the day, she also felt like they weren't being much of a help and that Rapunzel and her party would be just fine continuing on without them. It was obvious to Xion that something was wrong with Kairi and she was just ignoring it. Even Namine was starting to feel frustrated, wanting nothing more than to make sure their friend was alright. The girls sighed as Kairi continued on ahead of the group, accepting the fact that as long as she was stubborn enough to keep on, they weren't going anywhere.

Luckily, it wasn't that much farther until the hour started to grow closer to sunset and Rapunzel was ready to set up camp for the night. Kairi and the girls agreed to stop, feeling ready to rest up too. While everyone else was unloading supplies and setting up the campfire, Kairi wandered off and found a peaceful place behind a tree to recuperate. A part of her was feeling like she needed a moment to herself to think about everything that had happened her that day while another part of her was just feeling overwhelmed with everyone getting on her case of her current physical state.

Despite her somewhat hiding, Kairi couldn't stay hidden for long. As everyone got situated around the campfire, Eugene noticed her sitting by herself and gently tapped Rapunzel's shoulder, letting her know of Kairi's location. Rapunzel suggested they check on her, but keep it brief, getting the impression that she most likely wanted time to herself as well.

"Hey, you holding up?" Eugene asked, approaching the tree with Rapunzel.

Kairi nodded confidently. "Yeah. I just needed to rest and think a little bit, I guess. That tree really had some weird magic flowing through it."

"Yeah. I'll admit, it was a little...scary. I really couldn't control the moon's incantation once I started using it." Rapunzel said while rubbing her arm.

**Watching Rapunzel use that incantation got me thinking, as if I hadn't done enough of that already. The moon's incantation was associated with darkness, pain, despair, and death. Maybe what Master Yen Sid was wrong about Princesses of Heart being only pure light. Maybe we're just as weak to darkness as anyone else. Maybe we're weaker because we're pure light.**

**Maybe...there's a darkness within me…**

Before Kairi could fall too deep into her thoughts, she saw a strange shadow not far from her and looked up to see who the shadow belonged to. It was a monkey, one that wore a turban that an arabian prince would wear. Normally, Kairi wouldn't think twice about a monkey, but considering that animals didn't usually wear clothing, at least in Corona, and the fact that he was screeching and bouncing toward the moon rocks, she couldn't but grow curious. Monkeys could be smart, but what were the odds that his monkey was making intense eye contact with her and sticking by the same rocks that reacted to both Kairi and Rapunzel on purpose?

"Hey Rapunzel? Eugene?" Kairi interrupted them. "I think that monkey wants us to follow him."

Eugene nodded slowly, a suspicious look on his face. "Yeah, following a strange monkey? I think I'll pass."

"Wait, Eugene. He's going in the direction of the rocks." Rapunzel said as she stood up, slowly creeping toward the monkey.

The monkey screeched and pointed in the direction the rocks were pointing. Kairi and Eugene watched as Rapunzel began to follow the monkey. They both shrugged their shoulders and opted to follow her, hoping that she wasn't being led to a deadly trap. Eugene's suspicions grew the deeper into the woods the monkey led them. There wasn't a clear trail that could get them back. To work around that, Kairi summoned her Keyblade and the teeth of the blade into the dirt, dragging it along behind her and creating a trail that could lead them back to camp.

Rapunzel initially stopped at a cave that didn't seem to have a sense of light in it. Whatever lay at the end of the cave, nobody knew. She looked back, making sure Eugene and Kairi were still there, having her back before watching the monkey bounce into the cave. Seeing that if she didn't follow the monkey close enough, she was going to lose track of him. Kairi and Eugene each rested a hand on Rapunzel's shoulders, giving her the peace of mind she needed to follow the monkey into this mysterious cave.

The deeper they travelled, a big of light shone at the end. The trio heaved a sigh of relief that they weren't just travelling into an endless dark and musty cave. The relief didn't last long as they exited the other side and found what appeared to be a massive labyrinth below them. With the monkey screeching and pointing to the labyrinth and bouncing down the hill toward the start of it. Eugene sighed as Rapunzel and Kairi began following the monkey, both of them having false hope that maybe the labyrinth wasn't as big as they imagined. As they grew closer, the labyrinth grew, confirming their fears that that this was a massive maze and wouldn't be easy to navigate at all.

"Ohhhh, that...doesn't look very fun." Kairi said with a sigh. "I didn't even enjoy those maze games on paper when I was little."

Eugene folded his arms as the monkey hopped his way to the entrance of the labyrinth. "Are we gonna follow a monkey for hours and hours on end only for us to die a terrible death because we get stuck and can never get out?"

"I'm not sure." Rapunzel shook her head before resting a hand on her chest. "But, something tells me that we should follow him."

Kairi gasped softly, also resting a hand over her own heart. Whatever Rapunzel was feeling, she was feeling the same thing. "I agree, Rapunzel. As long as we stick together, we should be alright."

Rapunzel smiled and nodded, having the utmost faith that Kairi was right. She had yet to be proven wrong yet, even in the hardest situations. Eugene decided to go along with them, not having much of a choice and also concerned for the girls' safety. He stood close behind them, while Kairi had her Keyblade drawn and ready in case this was a deadly trap and any Heartless attempted to attack them. Rapunzel kept her eyes locked on the monkey, for this labyrinth's corridors appeared very similar to one another and would have confused all three of them if it weren't for the monkey guiding their way.

Despite it being a long trek through the labyrinth, there was something that waited them a particular spot within the maze. The monkey led them to a cliffside that towered over an endless pit of deadly acid. The confidence that Rapunzel and Kairi had suddenly turned into a lump that resided in their throat before it dropped into the pit of their stomach. Maybe they were wrong to trust the monkey? Why would a monkey want them to meet their demise? Something didn't seem right.

"Whoa…" Eugene muttered as his eyes were about ready to bulge out. "O-kay. I was right! This monkey led us to certain doom, I am out of-"

"Stay." The monkey commanded with a deep and powerful voice.

"Did that monkey just talk?" Rapunzel asked.

Kairi nodded. "I should be surprised, but then again, I've seen stranger things."

"There is no need to fear. For I am _Lord Demanitus_!"

Everyone gasped, for the last thing they expected was for a great ancient lord to be a monkey. Kairi and Rapunzel's eyes widened as they gazed upon the monkey while Eugene couldn't help but break out laughing. Demanitus rolled his eyes and folded his arms at the reaction. It was obviously he wasn't taking the monkey seriously.

"Yeah, nice one! Nice try! Yeah, like _you _are the guy who lived a thousand years ago, wrote the scroll, split it into four pieces, and hid them away-" Eugene laughed in denial.

"This is no charade." Demanitus cut him off once again. "I am Lord Demanitus, protector of ancient Corona, devotee of science and invention, who has emerged from this monkey in your time of need."

Rapunzel furrowed her eyebrows as her eyes studied the monkey's. "Wait, how did you know we were even here?"

"I followed as close as I could while remaining out of your vision. I could sense that the Sun-Drop would be on her way to complete her destiny once the spreading of the black moon rocks intensified. Of course, I'd expect no less than the princess of Corona to hold the power of the Sun-Drop." Demanitus explained as he paced back and forth. "It's also no surprise that once another princess showed up in Corona, the darkness that was contained in those rocks only grew stronger. I had to be sure both of you were the worthy ones I would pass my knowledge to."

"Another princess?" Rapunzel asked. "Kairi? Are you…?"

"Yes…" Kairi answered, ready to explain herself before Demanitus cut her off.

"Indeed she is, for I, too, have studied the heart, and how all of our hearts contain light and darkness, except for seven maidens that come from all parts of our world. They are the Princesses of Heart. You, Rapunzel are one of them, hence why when you used the moon's incantation, you could not control it. Just as your light is strong enough to pierce any darkness, your light is just as weak to the strongest of darkness."

Kairi stepped forward, kneeling down to Demanitus' level. "But, I'm confused. Why are the moon rocks reacting to me when I don't have the power of the Sun-Drop."

Demanitus shook his head. "Light powers the sunlight just as darkness powers the moon. So long as you both remain a Princess of Heart, your destinies will always be connected, as will the others. It is this unique connection that helps retain the worlds' balance of light and darkness. Kairi, you must aid Rapunzel with her destiny, just as she must aid you with yours."

"Of course!" She said with a nod.

"Now, listen closely." Demanitus said as he took a seat on a rock. "A millenia ago, a mysterious even in the heavens divided an ancient power in two. The Sun-Drop and the MoonStone fell to the Earth! Three of my pupils and I researched the legend of the Sun-Drop and the MoonStone, two elements that longed to re-unite. We searched, but alas, we could not find them. Unfortunately, my three pupils betrayed me and summoned my old nemesis, Zhan Tiri, a warlock from another realm bent on destruction! It took all of my powers to banish the evil from our world. I knew the research I had written about the Sun-Drop and MoonStone was valuable, and dangerous in evil hands. I tore the scroll into pieces, and hid them around Corona. The final piece is right there, in that chest."

Rapunzel gasped, smiling widely. "I knew something good would come out of this!"

"And...you're a monkey...why…?" Eugene asked.

"I could not let Zhan Tiri find me! Using my scientific acumen coupled with an ancient spell, I was able to create a hiding place, a living, simian creature." Demanitus answered. "Inside, I would lay dormant until came the time I would emerge again."

Kairi bit down on her lip while shrugging her shoulders. "Sounds better than what I would've come up with. "So, you're just gonna give us the scroll?"

Demanitus chuckled and shook his head. "Not quite. You've got one last test." He hopped over to a purple wooden signed and pointed it out with his tail. A key hung on the sign with instructions. "Read this and see for yourself."

"Hmm…" Eugene got closer and read the sign out loud. "Before thou claim thy glory, have Faith the crystal bridge shall lead to thy quarry. Use the key to unlock, after thy Faithful walk." He arched an eyebrow upon finishing. "Okay, not the most well-written thing."

"Yes, but look…" Demanitus said while removing the key. "A mon-_key_!" He choked with a toothy grin.

Rapunzel and Kairi began laughing while Eugene groaned and shook his head. "No! Denied!"

"Fine, here!" Demanitus said while suddenly throwing the key to Eugene. Unfortunately, the element of surprise caused him to drop the key all the way down the cliff until it was swallowed by the deadly acid.

"Why'd you just do that?" Eugene asked.

"You were supposed to catch it!" Demanitus argued.

The guys continued to argue back and forth, which wasn't helping the situation in the slightest. Kairi and Rapunzel looked at each other with hopeless looks on their faces. If Eugene and Demanitus weren't going to figure out a solution, the girls had to. Rapunzel had one idea that she suggested to Kairi before stepping in to break the boys up. As good of an idea as it was, Kairi looked down at her Keyblade, knowing what the more obvious solution was, but was arguably riskier considering the task at hand.

"Wait!" Rapunzel interrupted the argument. "Eugene, you can pick the lock."

"No." Kairi said as she stepped in front of them. "I'll go. I can unlock it with my Keyblade."

Eugene shrugged his shoulders while patting her back. "Well, can't argue with that."

"Beware, young princess." Demanitus warned him. "Only by having faith in _yourself _will you cross safely."

Kairi swallowed that fear that had been caught in her throat. She was never the most self-confident person, and following everything that happened in the Keyblade Graveyard with Sora's sacrifice, it only depleted her confidence more. All this time on her quest, Kairi could only hope that her faith in herself had improved enough that she could safely cross the bridge without falling to her doom. Her mind said yes, but what did her heart believe? This test would finally answer that question.

After taking a deep breath, Kairi stepped forward, carefully placing her foot on the bridge. Nothing happened, at least, until she finally put some weight on it. The spot where she had placed her foot suddenly began cracking. She gasped and jumped back, quickly bringing her foot back. Her heart began racing as the tiny crumbled pieces of crystal fell to the acid. Thank goodness for her reflexes, otherwise, that would've been her.

"I can't do this. I can't do this." Kairi whispered to herself.

Taking a moment to gather herself, Kairi shut her eyes, trying to push her doubts and anxieties out of her head. Instead of listening to the dark condescending voices that haunted her for months, the voices were soft, encouraging, and warm. They were all saying her name, each voice belonging to someone precious to her.

'_My friends…' _Kairi thought to herself. _'They have faith in me.'_

With each voice reaching her heart, Kairi could feel the warmth gathering inside. She knew then and there that there was no reason to doubt herself anymore. Her friends truly believed in her, and now, there was only one thing left to do.

"Now, it's my turn." Kairi said as she lifted her foot forward. "It's my turn to have faith in _myself!"_

One powerful step later, and Kairi was back on the crystal bridge. This time, there wasn't a sense of movement due to cracking. In fact, there was no movement whatsoever. She opened her eyes and saw that she was standing on the bridge and it was completely still intact. Kairi took a deep breath of relief and smiled, feeling stronger than she had in a long time. She curled her hand into a fist and briskly crossed the bridge toward the other side where the chest containing the last piece of scroll awaited her. All she did was think of her friends, and how they had always been there for her when she needed most, just as they were at that moment.

After completing her way across the bridge, Kairi smiled widely and looked back, laughing at her success. Rapunzel, Eugene, and Demanitus all waved back at her, wordlessly congratulating her. She nodded back at them before gripping her Keyblade tightly, ready to make use of its power once again. With the Keyblade aimed directly at the chest's lock, she shot a beam of light and effortlessly unlocked it. Kairi collected the piece of scroll from the chest and quickly crossed the bridge once again. This time, having no doubt in her mind that she would make it the other side.

"You did it!" Rapunzel cheered.

"Thanks, but…I couldn't have done it without you, or Eugene." Kairi said warmly. She held out the final piece of scroll for Rapunzel to take. "That's the last piece. Should we assemble it all together?"

Rapunzel nodded as she took the piece of scroll from Kairi. She took out the rest of the pieces and laid them out on a boulder, lying them all out before opening up the final piece. This last piece of the scroll had a number of symbols aside from the sun and moon, including what looked like a human figure and an animal, and they were all linked to what looked like a completely new diamond-like symbol. The foreign writing that surrounded these symbols didn't help in trying to figure out what it meant. Still, the fact that all four pieces of scroll were back together was enough of a satisfying victory.

"Wow...it's all here." Rapunzel said softly as she held the completed scroll.

Demanitus nodded. "Well done. Now, with all four pieces, you must unite the Sun-Drop and MoonStone together. Doing so will allow one to wield the ultimate power, and the fourth piece contains instructions on how to wield that power. In the right hands, it could be used for good, but in the wrong hands, it could be inconceivably deadly. Now you know why I tested your faith. I had to be sure the purest of hearts controls the power. You must act quickly. Should the Sun-Drop fail to join with the MoonStone, the black rocks will reawaken and seek you out forever, destroying everything in its path, and unleashing supreme darkness upon this world."

"We're on it! Eugene and I have it under control." Kairi said confidently.

"Great! Now, quick question, how do we get out of this doom labyrinth?" Eugene asked.

"Come." Demanitus waved them over. "He stepped on a brick in the ground and caused a secret tunnel open up in the ground. "Use this as a way to return to the entrance of the maze. I leave the scroll as well as the fate of our world in your hands, Sun-Drop."

Rapunzel firmly nodded, a serious expression across her face. "I won't let you or Corona down." She turned to her friends and waved them toward the tunnel. "Let's go!"

Kairi smiled and nodded, watching as Eugene and Rapunzel began to lead the way out of the labyrinth and back towards camp. She slowly followed behind, only stopping for a second to rest her hand on her chest. There was a random sharp pain that hit her right in her chest, causing her to stop and catch her breath. Rapunzel and Eugene stopped when they noticed she fell behind and waited for her to catch up, which she was able to do after a moment. It was strange, but Kairi didn't think much of it, and only did what Demanitus had told her to do, which was to aid Rapunzel on her quest to her destiny.

"May your heart be your guiding key." Demanitus whispered.

* * *

**A/N: Uh oh...what's going on with Kairi? O.O;**


End file.
